Sociobiology by Edward O. Wilson

Author:Edward O. Wilson [Wilson, Edward O.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0674002350
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 2000-03-24T00:00:00+00:00

Out of this unsentimental calculus of marital conflict and deceit can be drawn a new perception of cuckoldry. When fertilization occurs by insemination, the universal mode of reptiles, birds, and mammals, the male cannot always be completely sure that his mate’s eggs have been fertilized by his own sperm. To the degree that he invests in the care of the offspring, it is genetically advantageous to him to make sure that he has exclusive access to the female’s unfertilized eggs. Frequently the preemption comes about as a bonus resulting from other kinds of behavior. Males that exclude others from territories or control them within dominance systems are avoiding sperm competition. The same effect is achieved through the time lag that normally occurs between bonding and copulation in monogamous birds (Nero, 1956), an interval that serves as a de facto quarantine period for the detection of alien sperm. The theory suggests that a particularly severe form of aggressiveness should be reserved for actual or suspected adultery. In many human societies, where sexual bonding is close and personal knowledge of the behavior of others detailed, adulterers are harshly treated. The sin is regarded to be even worse when offspring are produced. Although fighting is uncommon in hunter-gatherer peoples such as the Eskimos, Australian aborigines, and !Kung Bushmen, murder or fatal fighting appears to be frequent in these groups in comparison with other societies and is usually a result of retaliation for actual or suspected adultery.

Until recently biologists and social scientists have viewed courtship in a limited way, regarding it as a device for choosing the correct species and sex and for overcoming aggression while arousing sexual responsiveness in the partner. The principal significance of Trivers’ analysis lies in the demonstration that many details of courtship can also be interpreted with reference to the several possibilities of maltreatment at the hands of the mate. The assessment made by an individual is based on rules and strategies designed by natural selection. Social scientists might find such an interpretation rather too genetic or even amoral for their tastes, yet the implications for the study of human behavior are potentially very great.

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