RE: Female genetics & Longevity [was Re: Twin Studies]
Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@www.aeiveos.com)
Thu, 26 Aug 1999 18:55:30 -0700 (PDT)
On Thu, 26 Aug 1999 jmcasey@pacific.net.sg wrote:
> >So recontextualizing, the "progressive, anti-futurist" argument --
> >these women are simply fighting (tooth and nail) for the survival
> >of their genetic design function -- to bear offspring.
>
> But surely the exact same drive exists in men. If not, us men'd all just
> pork each other and have done with it. No more of this worrying "what does
> Woman want?" just endless, responsibility-free sex.
Well, I could argue that the gay-men have figured this out,
but I believe there are secondary effects.
To the first degree, the men simply want to pork something.
The investment is low enough that if you pork and never see
again, it hasn't cost you much. [Consider the cost of
conversion of a nice steak into motile sperm..]
To the second degree, men want to see offspring produced.
If they don't see offspring produced (after making a
commitment) their commitment is likely to become unstable.
To the third degree, the men want to see evidence that
the offspring are theirs. If they have blond hair and
blue eyes, and the children are all showing up with red
hair and green eyes, things are going to get *iffy*.
If someone with red hair and green eyes happens to know
female primary mate A, things are likely to get very heated.
A clever (manipulative) women sets up the "Plan B" mate
as similar enough to the "Plan A" mate that making
these separations is very difficult.
A very clever woman, could have children by a very smart,
interesting, talented lover while all the time convincing
a dumb, stupid lug to provide the resources to give these
children a distinct survival advantage. Before the advent
of DNA testing, this strategy would have had huge payroffs.
How many women do you think would have turned down an
opportunity to sleep with Motzart if they thought they
could get away with it? Even worse, I suspect, that many
women would completely ignore the qualities of their lover,
if they thought their children would end up smart or talented.
Robert