Re:DNA Tests Are Uncovering the True Prevalence of Incest
by iainmerrick on Wednesday March 20, 2024 @09:45AM
(#39766407)
That's rather inflammatory, but taking your comment at face value, I highly recommend "The Evolution of Cooperation" for a very detailed and nuanced exploration of this idea.
Re:DNA Tests Are Uncovering the True Prevalence of Incest
by csomar on Wednesday March 20, 2024 @11:19AM
(#39767846)
Do you have any evidence for that? Many animals practice rather peaceful dating. Many species of bird do regular dating and mating for life. Humans display both aspects but I don't think we have any concrete evidence about our grand-grand fathers.
Re:DNA Tests Are Uncovering the True Prevalence of Incest
by O1111OOO on Wednesday March 20, 2024 @04:02PM
(#39771356)
> Many animals practice rather peaceful dating.
Not OP but occasionally I come across videos of 'animals behaving really badly' so I did a quick search (below). I think we all know about male lions killing cubs that don't belong to them, dolphin's dark side, etc...
> I don't think we have any concrete evidence about our grand-grand fathers.
I remember getting into a discussion with someone about religion. This person hated religion. I'm not religious. He blamed religion for all the atrocities in the world. I wasn't defending religion but I like to look at both sides and said...
Maybe it's because of religion that we haven't already destroyed ourselves. At least with Christian (new testament) religion (the only one I'm passably familiar with), there are a set of rules to live by[0]:
No killing, no adultery, no stealing, no lying... etc.
** Please, I don't want to get into a religious argument. **
But, what if... religion was _invented_ by man because man himself was so murdery and rapey as OP (afpx) stated. That the only way to control him/her was by inventing a power greater than man himself. Indoctrinate man at some core level so that these tendencies could be managed somehow.
Perhaps we have come into a period where religion's influence is not needed as it once was. Perhaps we are in some transitional period. All of this is supposition for discussion (not argument), please:-)
Re:DNA Tests Are Uncovering the True Prevalence of Incest
by earthling8118 on Wednesday March 20, 2024 @10:38PM
(#39774411)
This isn't an uncommon thought in the slightest. I hear this used as an argument frequently. Maybe some of you need a booklet with things that you can and cannot do but many of us do not and it isn't because of a religion.
Re:DNA Tests Are Uncovering the True Prevalence of Incest
by mcphage on Wednesday March 20, 2024 @03:11PM
(#39770753)
> Natural selection doesn't care about morality.
Natural selection doesn't care about morality, but it does care about incest, since products of incest—especially after a few generations—tend to be markedly less fit.
Re:DNA Tests Are Uncovering the True Prevalence of Incest
by rossdavidh on Wednesday March 20, 2024 @09:55AM
(#39766578)
Like, I'm sure it happens (we don't tend to have taboos on things unless people are at least occasionally doing them, because the point of the taboo is to make them stop), but the article's principal evidence is a single, unpublished study which estimated it at one in 7000.
I mean, clearly the prevalence is greater than 0, but the evidence for it in this article is not impressive. Even many published studies don't hold up to closer scrutiny, and this one isn't even published.
Not OP but occasionally I come across videos of 'animals behaving really badly' so I did a quick search (below). I think we all know about male lions killing cubs that don't belong to them, dolphin's dark side, etc...
https://start.duckduckgo.com/?q=murderers+and+rapists+among+...
> I don't think we have any concrete evidence about our grand-grand fathers.
I remember getting into a discussion with someone about religion. This person hated religion. I'm not religious. He blamed religion for all the atrocities in the world. I wasn't defending religion but I like to look at both sides and said...
Maybe it's because of religion that we haven't already destroyed ourselves. At least with Christian (new testament) religion (the only one I'm passably familiar with), there are a set of rules to live by[0]:
No killing, no adultery, no stealing, no lying... etc.
** Please, I don't want to get into a religious argument. **
But, what if... religion was _invented_ by man because man himself was so murdery and rapey as OP (afpx) stated. That the only way to control him/her was by inventing a power greater than man himself. Indoctrinate man at some core level so that these tendencies could be managed somehow.
Perhaps we have come into a period where religion's influence is not needed as it once was. Perhaps we are in some transitional period. All of this is supposition for discussion (not argument), please:-)
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments?useskin=vecto...
Natural selection doesn't care about morality, but it does care about incest, since products of incest—especially after a few generations—tend to be markedly less fit.
I mean, clearly the prevalence is greater than 0, but the evidence for it in this article is not impressive. Even many published studies don't hold up to closer scrutiny, and this one isn't even published.
Edited to substitute archive link for shortened link.
The way I heard it, the etymology of "nepotism" is that nephews were involved because of course priests don't have sons.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-jun-20-la-oe-zu...
https://archive.ph/WB2jg