> And, if they didn't get laid way more, they surely know that it wasn't
> prudery standing in the way, but discernment. heh.
>
> Jenny and Miles, a question. What about some anthropological research
> that suggests that some groups may not have even understood how
> reproduction works. That is, they assumed parthenogenesis. I remember
> reading a few books, years ago, in which it was argued that humans
> probably didn't know how reproduction worked -- requiring a male and
> female -- and assumed parthenogenesis.
>
That lack of knowledge would clearly open up many ways of interacting
that seem inappropriate or strange to us (e.g., indifference to
paternity claims). However, people's behavior could still be influenced
by natural selection at an unconscious level (e.g., women may not think
"Hmm, he looks healthy and fertile, I think I'll have sex with them to
improve my reproductive fitness", but that behavior could still be
driven by natural selection).
Miles