Mating

The Age of Em ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Hanson
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Pair Bonding ◽  
Pair Bonds ◽  
Related Pair ◽  
Female Pair ◽  
And Gender

How is sex different for ems? As the em world is a very competitive world where sex is not needed for reproduction, and as sex can be time and attention consuming, ems may try to suppress sexuality, via mind tweaks that produce eff ects analogous to castration. Such effects might be temporary, perhaps with a consciously controllable on-off switch. Historically, castrated males have tended to have lower libido, to be less aggressive and obsessive, to be better able to multi-task, and to be more sensitive, sympathetic, and social. However, historically eunuchs have often wanted to marry, and have often had active sex lives ( Aucoin and Wassersug 2006 ; Brett et al. 2007 ; Wassersug 2009 ; Treleaven et al. 2013 ). Thus even for eunuch-like ems there might still be a substantial demand for sex and related pair bonding. It is possible that em brain tweaks could be found to greatly reduce natural human desires for sex and related romantic and intimate pair bonding, without reducing em productivity. It is also possible that many of the most productive ems would accept such tweaks. Alternatively, it is possible that cheap vivid romantic and sexual simulations will sufficiently satisfy pairbonding urges, so that little demand remains for pair-bonding with real ems ( Levy 2008 ; Brain 2012 ). However, given how deeply pair bonding and sexual behaviors are embedded in human nature, such scenarios do not seem likely, at least for the early em era. Scenarios of sex suppression also seem to be less simple, as it is harder to calculate their implications. In this book I thus assume that ems retain modestly strong desires for sex and related pair bonding, even if such desires are substantially reduced. I also assume that familiar conventional sexual and gender habits and preferences continue in the em world. That is, most ems divide clearly into male versus female, ems mostly prefer male-female pair bonds, and these bonds have a distribution of time-scales near those we have seen in humans across cultures so far.

Creatures of Cain

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Lorraine Milam
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
Late Night ◽  
Hollywood Films ◽  
Political Debates ◽  
American Science ◽  
Human Exceptionalism ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Gender

After World War II, the question of how to define a universal human nature took on new urgency. This book charts the rise and precipitous fall in Cold War America of a theory that attributed man's evolutionary success to his unique capacity for murder. The book reveals how the scientists who advanced this “killer ape” theory capitalized on an expanding postwar market in intellectual paperbacks and widespread faith in the power of science to solve humanity's problems, even to answer the most fundamental questions of human identity. The killer ape theory spread quickly from colloquial science publications to late-night television, classrooms, political debates, and Hollywood films. Behind the scenes, however, scientists were sharply divided, their disagreements centering squarely on questions of race and gender. Then, in the 1970s, the theory unraveled altogether when primatologists discovered that chimpanzees also kill members of their own species. While the discovery brought an end to definitions of human exceptionalism delineated by violence, the book shows how some evolutionists began to argue for a shared chimpanzee–human history of aggression even as other scientists discredited such theories as sloppy popularizations. A wide-ranging account of a compelling episode in American science, the book argues that the legacy of the killer ape persists today in the conviction that science can resolve the essential dilemmas of human nature.

scholarly journals Are We Doing ‘Systems’ Research? An Assessment of Methods for Climate Change Adaptation to Hydrohazards in a Complex World

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Bedinger ◽  
Lindsay Beevers ◽  
Lila Collet ◽  
Annie Visser
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Multiple Time Scales ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Systems Research

Climate change is a product of the Anthropocene, and the human–nature system in which we live. Effective climate change adaptation requires that we acknowledge this complexity. Theoretical literature on sustainability transitions has highlighted this and called for deeper acknowledgment of systems complexity in our research practices. Are we heeding these calls for ‘systems’ research? We used hydrohazards (floods and droughts) as an example research area to explore this question. We first distilled existing challenges for complex human–nature systems into six central concepts: Uncertainty, multiple spatial scales, multiple time scales, multimethod approaches, human–nature dimensions, and interactions. We then performed a systematic assessment of 737 articles to examine patterns in what methods are used and how these cover the complexity concepts. In general, results showed that many papers do not reference any of the complexity concepts, and no existing approach addresses all six. We used the detailed results to guide advancement from theoretical calls for action to specific next steps. Future research priorities include the development of methods for consideration of multiple hazards; for the study of interactions, particularly in linking the short- to medium-term time scales; to reduce data-intensivity; and to better integrate bottom–up and top–down approaches in a way that connects local context with higher-level decision-making. Overall this paper serves to build a shared conceptualisation of human–nature system complexity, map current practice, and navigate a complexity-smart trajectory for future research.

Promiscuity in an evolved pair-bonding system: Mating within and outside the Pleistocene box

2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Carol Miller ◽  
William C. Pedersen ◽  
Anila Putcha-Bhagavatula
Keyword(s):  
Pair Bonding ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Early Menarche ◽  
Bonding System ◽  
Pair Bonds ◽  
Bonding Mechanisms ◽  
Similar Pair

Across mammals, when fathers matter, as they did for hunter-gatherers, sex-similar pair-bonding mechanisms evolve. Attachment fertility theory can explain Schmitt's and other findings as resulting from a system of mechanisms affording pair-bonding in which promiscuous seeking is part. Departures from hunter-gatherer environments (e.g., early menarche, delayed marriage) can alter dating trajectories, thereby impacting mating outside of pair-bonds.

Humanism and Gender

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica R. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
White Male ◽  
Space And Place ◽  
Social Difference ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Objective Rationality ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Over Time

Framed in terms of the problems associated with traditional thinking on gender within humanism, this chapter sets about the task of carving out an approach to humanism that would enable flexible, fluid, and malleable understandings of social difference, such as gender, by calling for a re-orientation of humanism that can account for human variability over time, space, and place. Essentially, the chapter argues that humanism’s reliance on fixed categories of reason and human nature has reinforced a White, male logic of domination. First, it suggests a rethinking of humanism as a constructed concept, rather than an idea that somehow metaphysically emanates from some universal core of “human nature.” The chapter suggests a charting of humanism that moves beyond essences insomuch that free-floating “essences” (e.g., gender) collapse the construction (of humanism) back onto, and within, the domain of metaphysics. Next, it looks at origins, attempting to disrupt the science-based situativity in Enlightenment notions of (white, male, objective) “rationality” that were constructed over and against “irrational” categories of difference, such as gender.

The Human Beast

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Serial Killer ◽  
Film Analysis ◽  
Close Attention ◽  
And Gender

This chapter examines Chabrol’s fascination with ‘human beasts’ or ‘monsters’ through the following (overlapping) motifs: the serial killer, the automaton and the female killer. Through detailed film analysis and close attention to techniques, it shows how Chabrol uses these figures to rethink the boundaries and concepts of normality. Although he often provides a detailed social and ideological framework within which to problematize the human beast, class and gender are misleading keys and causality is ultimately blurred to the point of opacity. The closer one gets to the monster (sometimes literally, through the use of close-up shots), the less one understands it. Case studies of the following films illuminate how Chabrol explores film grammar to convey the complexities of human nature and the fragmented, opaque nature of evil: Le Boucher; Landru; Les Fantômes du chapelier; Violette Nozière; La Demoiselle d’honneur; Blood Relatives.

Mental Health and HIV-related Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Cisgender, Transgender, and Gender Non- Conforming MSM in China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhizhou Duan ◽  
Liyin Wang ◽  
Menglan Guo ◽  
Changmian Ding ◽  
Danqin Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Risky Sexual Behavior ◽  
Risky Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Gender Minority ◽  
The Past ◽  
Gender Minorities ◽  
And Gender

Abstract Background The new recognition of sub-groups among gender minorities (i.e transgender and gender non-conforming) who also identify as men who have sex with men (MSM) play a considerable role in new HIV infections in China. However, while research focuses on the prevalence of MSM, it ignores the diversity of gender minorities within the MSM population. Furthermore, information on the mental health and HIV-related risky sexual behavior also requires consideration to understand the prevalence and new rates of infection both of MSM and within these gender minority sub-groups. Methods From September 2017 to December 2017, MSM were recruited in Wuhan, Nanchang, and Changsha cities in China. Participants were asked to fill out a structured self-designed questionnaire to assess depression, perceived social support, resilience, identify concealment, and HIV-related risky sexual behaviors. Results A total of 715 MSM completed the structured questionnaire, the number of gender minorities identifying as MSM were 63 and accounted for 8.8% of the population. Compared with the cisgender MSM population, transgender MSM had a significantly lower likelihood of identity concealment (P = 0.016, 95%CI = 0.16, 5.79), were more likely to have one-night stand/occasional partner in the past six months (AOR = 3.90, 95% CI = 1.17–13.03), have sex after drug use (AOR = 2.84, 95%CI = 1.18–6.79), and engage in commercial sexual behavior in the past six months (AOR = 6.09, 95%CI = 1.003–36.94). In terms of gender non-conforming MSM, the differences were not significant for mental health and HIV-related risky sexual behaviors in comparison to the cisgender MSM population. Conclusions It is critical to create targeted interventions tailored towards the different gender minority identities among the MSM population. Further research is necessary to understand the relationship between gender identity, mental health, and HIV-related risky sexual behaviors.

Kant on Sex. Reconsidered

2020 ◽  
pp. 115-137
Author(s):  
Helga Varden
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
And Gender

This chapter argues that in order to overcome the problems haunting Kant’s own account, we simply need to do what he should have done. We need to correctly incorporate Kant’s complex account of human nature and freedom into our theory of sex, love, and gender. Kant’s writings can show us a way to rethink sexual or gender identity and sexual orientation as capturing the various ways in which we subjectively (first-personally) experience our own embodied, sexual, and affectionate forcefulness—a basic way of feeling directed toward ourselves and others as embodied, social beings—that any good development of our sexual, affectionately loving, gendered selves must be attuned to. Additionally, once we unhook Kant’s analysis of our teleological and aesthetic employment of the imagination regarding sexuality from his unjustifiable binary assumptions, we can engage the richness of human sex, love, and gender in the necessary nuanced, respectful ways.

Kant and Women

2020 ◽  
pp. 79-114
Author(s):  
Helga Varden
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Full Account ◽  
Gendered Identities ◽  
The Sublime ◽  
Sexual Orientations ◽  
Gender Ideals ◽  
And Gender

This chapter provides an interpretation of Kant’s own account of the traditional genders (man and woman) with particular attention to the historically oppressed gender (woman). I explain how Kant’s full account of human nature, including his teleological arguments, in combination with how we use the imagination aesthetically when being sexual, loving, or gendered inform his account of the traditional gender ideals of the man and the woman: the man associated with the idea of the sublime; the woman with that of the beautiful. The chapter concludes by arguing that although Kant himself failed to solve the puzzle of genders, sexual or gendered identities, and sexual orientations—including how they do not fit neatly into the two traditionally dominant categories of man and woman—his general suggestions that understanding sex, love, and gender requires appeals to embodied, social human nature, teleological judgments, and an aesthetic use of the imagination are worth exploring further.

Interpersonal Neural Synchronization during Interpersonal Touch Underlies Affiliative Pair Bonding between Romantic Couples

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuhang Long ◽  
Lifen Zheng ◽  
Hui Zhao ◽  
Siyuan Zhou ◽  
Yu Zhai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Romantic Love ◽  
Pair Bonding ◽  
Romantic Couples ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Neural Synchronization ◽  
Interpersonal Touch ◽  
Pair Bonds ◽  
Opposite Sex

Abstract Interpersonal touch plays a key role in creating and maintaining affiliative pair bonds in romantic love. However, the neurocognitive mechanism of interpersonal touch in affiliative pair bonding remains unclear. Here, we hypothesized that interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) during interpersonal touch underlies affiliative pair bonding between romantic couples. To test this hypothesis, INS between heterosexual romantic couples and between opposite-sex friends was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based hyperscanning, while the pairs of participants touched or vocally communicated with each other. The results showed significantly greater INS between the mentalizing and sensorimotor neural systems of two members of a pair during interpersonal touch than during vocal communication between romantic couples but not between friends. Moreover, touch-induced INS was significantly correlated with the self-reported strength of romantic love. Finally, the results also showed that men’s empathy positively modulated the association between touch-induced INS increase and the strength of romantic love. These findings support the idea that INS during interpersonal touch underlies affiliative pair bonding between romantic couples and suggest that empathy plays a modulatory role in the neurocognitive mechanism of interpersonal touch in affiliative pair bonding.

LGBTQ Issues and US Foreign Relations

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil Tiemeyer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Foreign Relations ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Late 19Th Century ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

The impact of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) issues on U.S. foreign relations is an understudied area, and only a handful of historians have addressed these issues in articles and books. Encounters with unexpected and condemnable (to European eyes) sexual behaviors and gender comportment arose from the first European forays into North America. As such, subduing heterodox sexual and gender expression has always been part of the colonizing endeavor in the so-called New World, tied in with the mission of civilizing and Christianizing the indigenous peoples that was so central to the forging of the United States and pressing its territorial expansion across the continent. These same impulses accompanied the further U.S. accumulation of territory across the Pacific and the Caribbean in the late 19th century, and they persisted even longer and further afield in its citizens’ missionary endeavors across the globe. During the 20th century, as the state’s foreign policy apparatus grew in size and scope, so too did the notions of homosexuality and transgender identity solidify as widely recognizable identity categories in the United States. Thus, it is during the 20th and 21st centuries, with ever greater intensity as the decades progressed, that one finds important influences of homosexuality and gender diversity on U.S. foreign policy: in immigration policies dating back to the late 19th century, in the Lavender Scare that plagued the State Department during the Truman and Eisenhower presidencies, in more contemporary battles between religious conservatives and queer rights activists that have at times been exported to other countries, and in the increasing intersections of LGBTQ rights issues and the War on Terror that has been waged primarily in the Middle East since September 11, 2001.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document