Friday, February 18, 2011

I'm right, you're right.

I am amused that comparisons of the human condition against arbitrary other species is used to bolster the argument for or against any given assertion on human sexuality, behaviour, morality, psychology, etc. Seeking to justify a given position using such comparisons is ludicrous. Such studies are legitimate trying to understand why a species behaves a certain way, but can never be used to justify 'normal' or 'abnormal' in either species.

Just looking at relationships:

There are species that mate for life. There are species that deposit sperm and scamper. There are species that kill their mate after mating. There are species where the female abandons the offspring to the male. There are species that live in pairs. There are species that live in large groups. There are species where there is a strong female in control of the group. There are species where there is a strong male in control. There are species where the female hunts. And there are species where the male hunts.

And there are examples of individuals and groups in the human species doing all of these.

Pick a favorite hot button for you. Do a quick Google on it, find your juiciest comparative study that shows this behaviour in some other species (or even other human culture) and you have irrefutable evidence that your position is right, justified, and ought to be defended (to the death, in some cases).

Pretty pointless, you'll agree.

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