Sexual Evolution

Dawkins suggests that all survival machines strive to maximize the number of genes by having sexual intercourse. Isn't it quite odd to mix ones genes with another person's? Every time a couple has a child, their genes are being thrown away, and replaced on their new creation: the child. Isn't it our main purpose in life to reproduce and to form a family? What about homosexuals? Are they some kind of mutation or what?

"What is the good of sex? Sex appears paradoxical because it is an 'inefficient' way for an individual to propagate her genes: each child has only 50 per cent of the individual's genes, the other 50 per cent being provided by the sexual partner. If only, like a greenfly, she would bud-off children who were exact replicas of herself, she would pass 100 per cent of her genes on to the next generation in the body of every child." (43) Our existence is just so perfect, so exact and beautiful. It is amazing to me that our "survival machines" are so perfectly designed to have exactly half of the genes of each parent.

Even though our existence really amuses me, some things seem confusing, such as the existence of homosexuality. It is a very controversial topic with so many theories and assumptions. I personally see it as good thing because it depreciates the amount of over population all over the world. What is worrying to me, are the many homeless mothers with five or six children on the street. This is quite ironic because nowadays the typical middle class family has around two or three children per household. Instead, these poor mothers have over five children living on the street. Why do they decide to have so many children, knowing that they won't have a home and that their dreams and aspirations will just vanish because of their situation.

Our species is probably the most promiscuous on earth, we breed and have sex more than others. Religion is also a very important part of this concept of breeding and eventually forming a family. This idea encourages couples to have more children. Fortunately, this idea is not as present today because we have evolved as a society. My mother has three brothers and two sisters, which was actually not much at the time. Nowadays, that would be a really extensive family. There is a very famous quote that states that "if a man can't look after his family, he is repugnant to the eyes of the lord." This shows that long ago, at the beginning of the 20th century, there was no tolerance with birth control.

If we analyze various historical events that happened during this time, we can see that the ones who suffered the most were the children. The irish famine, the great american depression are just some events that children had to face, due to the fact that no condoms, nor birth control pills existed. This is also seen today. It is actually very present in Bogota with the displaced people who are kicked out from their homeland by Las FARC. They come to the Bogota with their five or six children and start begging on the streets hoping that some day things will be better, but unfortunately they won't. These people also intend to have children even while they live this misery. They probably have them in order to collect more money or to have company as well. This is where altruism takes place. Are these mothers really having their children to offer them a healthy environment or are they having them just to improve their own survival by making them beg for money?

"If sexual, as opposed to non-sexual, reproduction benefits a gene for sexual reproduction, that is a sufficient explanation for the existence of sexual reproduction. Whether or not it benefits all the rest of an individual's genes is comparatively irrelevant. Seen from the selfish gene's point of view, sex is not so bizarre after all." (44) I do not think sex is bizarre, what is strange to me is the concept that has been created about sex. This goes back to my argument about homosexuals. Religion also opposes homosexuality because this means that they are not forming the "traditional family."

I believe sex is simply a feeling of human nature, no matter if it is attraction between men or women or opposite sex. It is simply a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction for every survival machine. The decision of having a baby depends on the couple, no one else should ever make part of this decision.