In this blog post, we explore whether rape is an instinct that evolved as a sexual adaptation or an abnormal behavior that occurs in extreme stress situations, based on scientific evidence.
The mere existence of something does not imply a reason for its existence. This argument provides an illogical claim that all products of human civilization are inevitable. For example, it would be absurd to argue that laptops must be foldable or that doors must have handles simply because they exist. This demonstrates how foolish it is to claim that existence alone necessitates a reason.
However, some intellectuals, especially adaptationists, argue that rape is a sexual adaptation because it has existed for a long time. This is illogical. Of course, not everything that exists has a reason, so rape may have a reason. But it is not because of adaptation. Let’s find out why rape is not a sexual adaptation. To determine whether rape is an adaptation of humans, we must first understand what adaptation is.
Adaptation refers to all behaviors that organisms engage in for survival or reproduction, and the results are traits that are passed on through genes.
In order to determine whether rape is an adaptation, we must find genetic evidence. However, even with the current state of genetic mapping, there are no genes directly related to rape. In other words, rape is not genetic and is not the result of adaptation.
Nevertheless, rape has existed for a long time. This suggests that there may be a reason for its existence. It appears to be related to the mechanisms of sexual desire that evolved for reproduction, as adaptationists argue. However, rape is not inherited. Therefore, I believe that rape is a distorted form of the system created by individuals to pass on their genes through reproduction, manifesting in special circumstances. It is similar to how human legs were created for walking, but in certain situations, they can be used to open doors instead of hands. Legs correspond to sexual desire, and opening doors corresponds to rape. Our sexual functions and sexual desire are not for rape, and they do not induce rape, but they can be related to rape in certain situations.
Rape is not common in the reproductive process. Therefore, those who view rape as an adaptation explain it as a latent instinct that individuals with zero reproductive rates in extreme situations would choose. The problem is that the methods they use to prove this are riddled with errors. A prime example is the experiment where arthropods are confined and observed to see if they attempt rape, which overlooks the fact that humans and arthropods have evolved in distinctly different directions during the evolutionary process. The situations they present also lack validity because they subject individuals to extreme stress. Even if we were to acknowledge causality obtained through rigorous control of variables, it is difficult to view such behavior in stressful situations as a systemized instinct within us. For example, if someone is trapped in a sealed space and facing starvation, it would be unreasonable to conclude that eating another person is a systemized instinct within us.
Rather, we can find clues that rape is not an adaptation in the fact that adaptationists did not consider the stress imposed on individuals in their experiments. Stress refers to environmental, physical, and mental pressures imposed on individuals, which can cause unexpected phenomena that we do not anticipate. It can cause physical and mental changes in individuals, leading to abnormal behavior. Therefore, rape can be explained as abnormal behavior that occurs in stressful situations.
Looking at the examples provided by adaptationists, they believed that extreme situations would bring out instinctive behaviors. However, situations such as confinement, pressure, and population restrictions actually imposed severe stress on the individuals, and as these conditions persisted, some individuals exhibited abnormal behavior in the form of rape. Ultimately, their rape behavior was not driven by a reproductive urge but was an abnormal manifestation of stress. The explanation through stress accurately accounts for the results of the model proposed by adaptationists. Further confirmation can be obtained by conducting a re-experiment to determine whether the individuals exhibit stress-related abnormal behaviors other than rape.
Even when utilizing the theory of natural selection, which serves as the backdrop for all this controversy, the explanation through stress better accounts for the phenomenon of rape than the claim that rape is an adaptation for reproduction. In natural selection, reproduction refers to the process by which individuals constantly strive to leave behind offspring that are biologically advantageous for survival. Organisms want to pass on their genes to future generations, and to do so, they select mates with traits that increase their survival rate. In some cases, they raise their offspring for a long period of time through mating with their mates. The process of courtship and selection, which is a sexual adaptation behavior seen in most animals, best fits the meaning of reproduction, which is to select individuals that are advantageous for survival. In humans and most other animals, reproduction involves courtship, mate selection, and subsequent mating. Although the forms of courtship and selection vary among species, they all share the common goal of selecting the most suitable mate for the environment in which the species lives. This process can be considered natural selection because it allows genes to be passed on in the form most advantageous for survival.
However, rape is committed against the will of the victim and is not typically directed at individuals who are superior and capable of passing on their genes to future generations. This is completely inconsistent with the explanation that rape is an adaptation for reproduction. Instead, rape is often directed at random or nearby individuals who are vulnerable to force, which makes it appear similar to violence. Ultimately, this supports the idea that rape is an abnormal behavior caused by extreme stress inflicted on or experienced by an individual. Stress inflicted on an individual can manifest in the form of murder or violence, but because humans have a system of sexual desire, it can also be expressed in the form of rape.
Not only from a biological perspective, but also from the characteristics of actual rape, it is suggested that rape is not related to reproduction. Rape destroys the victim physically and mentally. The “rape trauma syndrome” that appears in rape victims manifests itself extremely severely, ranging from mental disorders to physical paralysis. Ultimately, rape is an act that threatens the very survival of the victim, and the likelihood of the genes of the rapist being passed on to future generations is extremely low. Last year, there was even a case where a woman killed her child born through rape because she could not cope with it. Even humans, who possess the highest intelligence and maternal instincts, can commit such acts. In the face of such horrific events, it is highly illogical for adaptationists to argue that rape is beneficial for reproduction.
When examining the victims of rape, it is clear that it is not limited to fertile women but also includes postmenopausal women, children, and even individuals of the same sex. This clearly demonstrates that rape is unrelated to reproduction.
The characteristics of rape are better explained as a form of stress expression rather than an adaptation for reproduction. Kwon Il-yong, a detective at the National Police Agency’s Scientific Investigation Center, stated that sexual offenders repeatedly engage in behaviors that confirm their suppressed self-esteem due to stress from oppression and an unfavorable family environment. Sexual crimes can also be interpreted as a form of this behavior. This supports the notion that sexual crimes are not a means of sexual reproduction but rather an abnormal manifestation of severe stress that was inflicted upon them, distorted into a sexual direction.
Considering that most rapists have experienced significant stress from adverse environments such as domestic violence, the link between rape and stress is highly causal. Mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii are said to not fear cats. However, it would be illogical to conclude that mice have a genetic system that compels them to attack cats. Similarly, it is problematic to too easily attribute certain behaviors to instinct.
Discussions about rape have also repeated this mistake. There are many counterexamples to the claim that rape is an adaptation. Rather than adaptingists offering excuses to support their theory, we should consider that rape is a side effect of stress within an individual manifesting through sexual function.
