From a biological point of view, "sexual intercourse" is a costly job. Living things need a lot of time and energy to find suitable objects, and also need a lot of resources to reproduce.
By better combining sexual intercourse with new genes, it is possible to leave healthier offspring than parents. In addition, Darwin found that many animal species are very careful when choosing their objects.
However, from a biological point of view, there is inherent inequality between men and women. Eggs are larger than sperm, fewer in number and higher in cost. In addition, embryos often need more resources in vivo and in vitro. In this process, women often bear a greater burden, so it is often women who choose their spouses.
However, according to a new paper published in Science magazine, it holds that Charles Darwin holds a paternal worldview. He seems to deny the possibility that women have subjective choice of partners.
In addition, the paper also believes that Darwin also despised the role of females in other animal species and believed that females always made the same judgment. On the other hand, in order to attract women's attention, men will show superb skills and beauty, so he thinks that men have great diversity.
Therefore, Darwin's research focuses on the dynamic aspects of male superiority, sexual decoration and variation. He believes that even if women were selective in the past, the motivation for choosing a spouse was in men.
However, does Darwin's view still apply today?
Animals will correctly judge each other's viability when choosing a mate. What can be used as clues is its appearance, sound, smell and so on. For example, the big horn of a deer can show its combat effectiveness, superiority and comprehensive physical strength. On the other hand, men also have many attractive and attractive characteristics. They do not represent the overall quality of heredity, but they will confuse women.
If a female chooses an object whose offspring are less likely to survive, she will evolve more offspring. For example, in several species of Cephalotaxus, including guppies, male charm is related to genes that reduce the survival rate of offspring.
In other words, females are faced with a dilemma: whether to mate with attractive males and leave attractive but slightly weaker offspring, or to mate with unattractive males to maximize the survival rate of offspring. Which male can leave more offspring?
Females sometimes choose male traits that have nothing to do with the viability of their offspring. In addition to attracting females, the tail of a male peacock is almost an obstacle to flying and avoiding predators. However, the fact that men can bear such a burden may itself be an indicator of the overall quality and strength of their genes.
On the other hand, women don't always choose. For example, male tube fish will protect fertilized eggs until they hatch, and then females will compete for male attention.
In addition, according to the individual's growth period, the choice of the best mating object will also change. For example, in the satin-blue bowerbird population, young females will be afraid of the majestic gesture of males, while older females will find the majestic gesture of males attractive.
And with the increase of age, the sex of many fish will change, so the mating objects will also change.
It can be seen that the process of choosing mating objects is much more complicated than Darwin thought, and the change of gender is the dominant mating object.
So, is it appropriate for the paper to accuse Darwin of discriminating against women? Is that why he didn't study enough? In fact, there is some evidence that Darwin underestimated the importance of mutation, strategy and even promiscuity in most female animals.
For example, Darwin paid little attention to the mechanism of sexual selection after mating, probably because Darwin followed human morality and social norms.
In nature, females of birds and mammals mate with multiple males, and each sperm competes in the reproductive tract to fertilize multiple eggs. In addition, animals such as cats and dogs can leave multiple male offspring. There is also a saying that human penis is thicker than primates, which may be to physically drive away competing male sperm. However, this vulgar speculation does not conform to Darwin's idea.
Female tits often mate with multiple males, which is said to protect and support multiple males. This is an operation strategy that does not know which male will become the father. These facts overturn Darwin's hypothesis that women are passive, not strategic.
When men make more sacrifices, it is men who actively choose each other. For example, the offspring of the spotted poison frog are male rather than female. In order to protect offspring, many females compete with each other to lay eggs and fertilize. In addition, many birds take care of their parents, so their mating systems are more diverse.
The paper holds that Darwin's worldview must have been formed by the culture at that time, and it is difficult to defend it effectively from his personal articles. In his letter 1882, he wrote: "I think women are usually superior to men in moral quality, but not as clever as men." According to the genetic law, I think it is difficult for them to be equal to men intellectually. "
In addition, when talking about the benefits of marriage, Darwin also left a famous saying. "A house, someone do housework. Coupled with the temptation of music and the chatter of women, this is good for people's health, but it takes time. "
In addition, maybe Darwin didn't know much about genetics, so he married his cousin Emma Wedgwood. Ironically, he doesn't understand the mechanism that the descendants of close relatives are more likely to suffer from certain genetic diseases.
Although there are various problems, Darwin's understanding has indeed made great progress than before. Darwin's works combined with his later understanding of heredity laid the foundation of modern evolutionary biology.