Our long standing preoccupation with the universal ideas of love and mating has been a result of a fundamental necessity for survival and fitness in a world filled with competition and danger. We celebrate our emotions through art, literature and music, as always obsessed with the good old Romeo and Juliet, but in all this catharsis, the voice that echoes has ever been the same- Rajit Roy
A few million years ago, the human species was at its infancy. We had just emerged from our ape ancestors and were learning to be man. Human community was a community of savages on the hunt for food and shelter. However, another aspect, perhaps the most vital one in our evolution, was sex. Natural selection was a direct result of sexual reproduction that gave rise to new and genetically diverse individuals. Our ascent from the pre-hominids came as a result of intermixing between populations that were uniquely adapted. Lust has played a prominent role in our story. But as human population grew, another kind of selection further intensified the role of carnal desires in our development as a species. It was sexual selection. Biologically, the rate of human evolution has been fast, terribly fast. No other animal on this planet made it this way through their lineage. It all goes down to this elegant phenomenon of sexual selection. For humans, unlike other animals, sex is not as straightforward. We spend enormous amount of our time looking for a mate- we go on dates and put great effort in choosing the partner we desire. No matter how romantic it all seems, underneath this desperation lies a necessity imposed by Darwin’s laws. We feel the freedom of love but we are indeed bound by nature’s exemplary skill of selection (and deception too!). It is pretty obvious that our choice for a life partner (not counting transient sexual partners) is based, not only on physical attractiveness, but also on emotional and intelligence quotient. This, in turn, leads to a proliferation of skill and intelligence in the offsprings which are necessary for a continued growth of our species, biologically and culturally. However, the heterogeneity in our population proves that we have still managed to keep the variety alive in our sexual consciousness. Several other aspects of our sexual conduct are unique to our species. These, again, have played an indispensable role in our ascent. For example, humans are the only animals that copulate face to face. This establishes equality in our gender. Women, as much as men, have a defining, active part in sexual selection. The propagation of monogamy is another important factor that has made our evolution so different. The common tenderness for a child, the kind of dedication bestowed upon the rearing of an offspring almost throughout his infancy as well as adolescence, ensures that only the best shall survive and thrive in this grand scheme of humanity. In conclusion, our long standing preoccupation with the universal ideas of love and mating has been a result of a fundamental necessity for survival and fitness in a world filled with competition and danger. We celebrate our emotions through art, literature and music, as always obsessed with the good old Romeo and Juliet, but in all this catharsis, the voice that echoes has ever been the same- This is my mark. This is man. (Dedicated to Jacob Bronowski for introducing us to some brilliant and remarkable ideas in his book “The Ascent of Man”)
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Rajit Roy
An existential romantic, an agnostic and a prospective biologist. Archives
September 2018
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