In this blog post, we look at rape from an evolutionary biological perspective and explore the connection between sexual desire and survival strategies.
Humans are the only animals that use their brains. Unlike other animals, we have evolved to use our brains to improve our quality of life. Through evolution, we have progressed from language to the human society we know today. With the long evolution, we have developed certain characteristics to adapt to the changing environment. Randy Thornhill and Craig Palmer argue in their paper, “A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion,” that rape is also part of evolution. Here are some reasons why I agree with the question, “Is rape also an adaptation?”
Before getting into the main topic, it is necessary to define the terms that will be used. Rape, adaptation, and natural selection. These three terms are often used when discussing whether rape is an adaptation, but their original meanings may differ slightly, so I will explain them before moving on. Let’s start with adaptation. Adaptation should not be understood in the commonly used sense, but rather as a product of natural selection from the perspective of evolutionary theory. What is natural selection? Natural selection is the basic mechanism that explains evolution. The term “natural selection” was first proposed by Charles Darwin to describe the process of evolution in living organisms. In other words, genetic traits that increase the survival and reproduction of organisms are selected over traits that are not beneficial. Since the traits of organisms are stored in their genes, if they are selected by natural selection, those genes will be passed on to their offspring. Finally, let’s look at rape. The Standard Korean Dictionary defines rape as “the act of committing adultery by illegal means such as assault or intimidation.” Adultery refers to illegal sexual intercourse.
Male rape behavior can be said to have been directly selected by natural selection throughout the long history of evolution. In other words, all men are potential rapists, and evolution has programmed our genes to behave that way. To understand this logic, we need to think about primitive times when humans were more similar to animals. Individuals who committed rape would have been more suitable for reproduction and occupied a superior position in the competition for reproduction compared to those who did not. Therefore, in the process of human evolution, reproduction was essential for maintaining the population, and rape can be seen as a form of adaptation as a strategy for reproduction.
In contrast, the opposing view is that rape is a byproduct of sexual desire. It can be criticized as a mistake to apply adaptation to the present because humans are now in a different era than when they were closer to animals in the distant past. Evolution is an ongoing process.
Now that we have entered a civilized society, rape has long been considered taboo, and evolution has taken place in accordance with environmental changes, making the survival of the rape gene disadvantageous, so it can be argued that the number of individuals should be reduced. In times when there was no social punishment, rape was bound to be advantageous for reproduction. In other words, rape is not a violent act, but rather a sexual act.
All males have a nature to pass on their genes to the next generation, and if necessary, they will resort to rape to satisfy this urge. Rape is particularly common among males who have difficulty mating. Rape is a natural result of the survival strategy for reproduction and evolution that is inherent in our genes. It is true that evolution must take place in accordance with environmental changes, but the society we call the present is relatively short compared to the time it took for humans to evolve into Homo sapiens. Civilization has only been around for 10,000 years. This is a short period of time compared to the approximately 1 million years during which the rape gene was selected by natural selection. The nature of adaptation cannot change in such a short period of time.
If it is an unavoidable instinct due to natural selection, one could argue that the frequency of rape should be higher and there should be more rapists than there are now. If rape is an adaptation, the number of rapists should have increased over generations and become a common trait of the human species. Rape can be seen as a characteristic of the human species, but it cannot be seen as an adaptation.
This criticism can be defended with the following logic. Today, rape is punishable by death, fines, and other penalties, and is considered a serious crime under the law, so it is possible that the rape gene will be eliminated in the distant future, but it is still too early to tell. The elimination process is still ongoing, and war can be cited as evidence that rape is an adaptation. In normal times, social oppression suppresses the instincts of all men. However, in times of war, it is possible to escape from the rules of an oppressive society, even if only for a short time. We know from experience that when the rules that suppress soldiers are removed, numerous acts of rape occur on the battlefield. In this way, I would like to argue that rape is an adaptation and an unavoidable instinct, and therefore requires regulation and preventive measures.
Rape is just one of many acts of violence. Rape occurs not only against women of childbearing age, but also against women who are not of childbearing age, and even between people of the same sex. From this perspective, it is difficult to view rape as an adaptation for greater reproductive success. Rape against women who are not of childbearing age or against people of the same sex is nothing more than violence to satisfy sexual desire.
Let’s criticize this using Dawkins’ theory of selfish genes. We exist for our genes. We are “biological machines” for the survival of our genes, so our goal is survival. In this way, the genes of living organisms have a selfish nature that seeks to replicate themselves as much as possible. We have evolved to reproduce as much as possible in order to achieve the goal of our selfish genes, and we have a desire to reproduce. Living things may have sexual intercourse if they have a mate, but if they do not, they may commit rape. However, at the same time, genes are selfish in nature and know that rape can result in disadvantages and be detrimental to survival. As a result, there are also genes that suppress sexual desire. The reason why rape is rare is because of the selfish genes that inhabit our bodies. However, there may be individuals with genetic problems that weaken the power of genes that suppress sexual desire in living organisms or prevent them from functioning properly. In such cases, rape may occur for purposes other than survival and reproduction. Same-sex rape, incest, child rape, and rape of the elderly can be considered expressions of reproductive desire that are impossible to fulfill.
We have discussed the somewhat sensitive topic of whether rape is an adaptation. While we agree that rape is an adaptation, this does not mean that rape should not be punished or that it is acceptable. Rather, we are suggesting that rape be understood from an evolutionary biological perspective. From an evolutionary biological perspective, rape is one of the products selected by the forces of natural selection.
