You'll have to read Evolutionary psychology: the adaptive significance of semen flavor to find out what Coyne thinks of evolutionary psychology. I think he's captured the essence of the movement.
P.S. I was looking for an appropriate illustration of the behavior that Coyne describes. Turns out that if you enter the appropriate term in your Google search box, you'll find quite a few photographs out there on the internet. I decided not to use any of them but the search was interesting.
Kinda like asking, why does urine taste bad to most people? Umm, just a wild guess, but it's maybe it's cuz it's not nutritious, doesn't much survival value, and there are healthier alternatives? And why is anal sex painful to most people? Umm just another wild guess, but it's kinda like asking why shoving a carrot up your nose hurts. They both have the about the same survival value. Duh.
ReplyDeleteAdaptation is context-dependent, and does not change only as the result of genetic changes. An ideologized understanding of evolution (as basically "gene selection") is getting in the way of a realistic understanding of adaptation.
ReplyDeleteVery funny. Brings Isadore Nabi to mind.
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