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So, I was thinking about reading some books on evolutionary psychology the other day. About how men prefer good looking young women, and how women prefer powerf

So, I was thinking about reading some books on evolutionary psychology the other day. About how men prefer good looking young women, and how women prefer powerful/rich men with high social status and to a lesser degree tall and muscular men. How men think about sex more often than women. Etc. Personally, I find this stuff extremely depressing. It shows you that most animals and humans are not particularly nice, and it blows up many of the commonly held illusions in our culture, such as the idea that men and women are equal. I wonder, do many people prefer to simply deny these truths, rather than facing them and getting depressed?

collyw 11y ago
I don't see what depressing about admitting that we are different. I find it more depressing to pretend we are and be called out as sexist for being aware of the differences.
- xufi 11y ago
  I agree. Considering I took a social science class recently, It seems to be if you dont agree with a set of standard ideas like on racism or whatnot then you're branded as not abiding by a persons "safe space". Everyone I knew in that class reffered to people who don't agree with them as invading their "safe space"
EliRivers 11y ago
Evolutionary psychology is a set of just-so stories. There's no science there, no way to remove massively confounding factors, no way to experiment. I suspect that in other cultures, in other times, evolutionary psychologists would have come up with different just-so stories to match whatever their local breeding preferences were.
- ue_ 11y ago
  An example of these just-so stories from another culture is nihonjinron (日本人論). It's the study of Japanese people, and often propped up by pseudoscience or explanations based in evolution that are impossible to verify.
- Chris2048 11y ago
  But, it makes sense to me to examine the brain as a product of evolution. Does it have to be a science to have value? > in other cultures, in other times There is at least a substance to evolution, it's not the same as bible quotes

collyw 11y ago

I don't see what depressing about admitting that we are different. I find it more depressing to pretend we are and be called out as sexist for being aware of the differences.

xufi 11y ago
I agree. Considering I took a social science class recently, It seems to be if you dont agree with a set of standard ideas like on racism or whatnot then you're branded as not abiding by a persons "safe space". Everyone I knew in that class reffered to people who don't agree with them as invading their "safe space"

EliRivers 11y ago

Evolutionary psychology is a set of just-so stories. There's no science there, no way to remove massively confounding factors, no way to experiment. I suspect that in other cultures, in other times, evolutionary psychologists would have come up with different just-so stories to match whatever their local breeding preferences were.

ue_ 11y ago
An example of these just-so stories from another culture is nihonjinron (日本人論). It's the study of Japanese people, and often propped up by pseudoscience or explanations based in evolution that are impossible to verify.
Chris2048 11y ago
But, it makes sense to me to examine the brain as a product of evolution. Does it have to be a science to have value? > in other cultures, in other times There is at least a substance to evolution, it's not the same as bible quotes