4 ms·

I like how in one paragraph, Prum is espousing an adaptive basis for homosexuality and in the very next one talks about how maybe not everything is selected on.

I like how in one paragraph, Prum is espousing an adaptive basis for homosexuality and in the very next one talks about how maybe not everything is selected on. Maybe he has good reasons for thinking that homosexuality is adaptive that have been covered up with the author's "For a full account, you need to read the book", but given how bogus the overwhelmingly vast majority of evopsych is, I'd kind of doubt it.

EGreg 9y ago
In fact, true homosexuality (no heterosexual coupling) would lead to lower fitness. Only humans and domesticated sheep have it. Probably because of relaxed evolutionary pressures on both, where fitness began to be less relevant.
- Analemma_ 9y ago
  You are assuming quite a lot of facts not in evidence here.
- trhway 9y ago
  >Probably because of relaxed evolutionary pressures on both, where fitness began to be less relevant. probably you don't understand evolution and natural selection. >true homosexuality (no heterosexual coupling) would lead to lower fitness. i can speculate the opposite - given that homosexuality seems to be highly correlated (i'm stereotyping here, yet lets suppose that it is statistically true for the sake of argument) with creativity and noncomformal thinking and behavior, we can see how in the today's society where those traits are more and more fetching a premium it may result in higher fitness.
  - EGreg 9y ago
    You can speculate this, but explain why only humans and domesticated sheep have been observed to practice homosexual behavior with no heterosexual coupling. http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150206-are-there-any-homosexual-animals http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150206-are-there-any-homose...
- FullMtlAlcoholc 9y ago
  Selection via environmental fitness is one of the least significant evolutionary pressures.
  - EGreg 9y ago
    What do you mean by environmental fitness? I literally mean that strict homosexuality results in less offspring by a large factor. Perhaps close to zero.

EGreg 9y ago

In fact, true homosexuality (no heterosexual coupling) would lead to lower fitness. Only humans and domesticated sheep have it. Probably because of relaxed evolutionary pressures on both, where fitness began to be less relevant.

Analemma_ 9y ago
You are assuming quite a lot of facts not in evidence here.
trhway 9y ago
>Probably because of relaxed evolutionary pressures on both, where fitness began to be less relevant. probably you don't understand evolution and natural selection. >true homosexuality (no heterosexual coupling) would lead to lower fitness. i can speculate the opposite - given that homosexuality seems to be highly correlated (i'm stereotyping here, yet lets suppose that it is statistically true for the sake of argument) with creativity and noncomformal thinking and behavior, we can see how in the today's society where those traits are more and more fetching a premium it may result in higher fitness.
- EGreg 9y ago
  You can speculate this, but explain why only humans and domesticated sheep have been observed to practice homosexual behavior with no heterosexual coupling. http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150206-are-there-any-homosexual-animals http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150206-are-there-any-homose...
FullMtlAlcoholc 9y ago
Selection via environmental fitness is one of the least significant evolutionary pressures.
- EGreg 9y ago
  What do you mean by environmental fitness? I literally mean that strict homosexuality results in less offspring by a large factor. Perhaps close to zero.