This blog post examines the perspective that rape is not an evolutionary adaptation but rather the manifestation of distorted desires and may be a biological error.
The theme of the section I read in the book ‘Darwin’s Table’ is ‘Is rape an adaptation?’ Anyone with normal ethical standards would naturally oppose the idea that rape is an adaptation. However, the term ‘adaptation’ used in this topic refers to the outcome obtained through natural selection, enabling an individual or species to survive in a given environment. In other words, the ‘adaptation’ in ‘Is Rape an Adaptation?’ is adaptation in the evolutionary, biological sense.
‘Darwin’s Table’ is a book that faithfully transcribes an actual debate. To summarize the arguments for and against the topic ‘Is Rape an Adaptation?’, the pro-adaptation position argues that rape is an adaptation by males to increase their reproductive opportunities through procreation. The basis for this is that rape is a byproduct of vigorous sexual behavior and, fundamentally, is a sexual act rather than a violent one. They argue that the claim of rape as an adaptation must be approached rationally and is merely a statement of fact. They enhance their persuasiveness by acknowledging that rape is a bad act, a point they themselves agree with, and that many people confuse this topic with value judgments.
Conversely, the opposing position disagrees, pointing to the paper ‘The Natural History of Rape’ presented as evidence by the proponents. They argue that the evidence in that paper is insufficient and fails to meet scientific standards. Furthermore, the presented evidence is vastly disconnected from reality. For instance, the statistics claim that women outside their fertile period being raped is a byproduct of adaptation, and that young women not in their fertile period experience less psychological trauma from rape than fertile women. However, since non-fertile young women are children aged 12 or younger, and women who are relatively older express their discomfort or emotions more effectively compared to these children, these statistics were deemed meaningless.
Similarly, when I first encountered the topic ‘Is Rape an Adaptation?’, I naturally thought it was not an adaptation. This judgment was influenced by the value judgments and emotional approach that proponents urged against. In fact, as I read the book, I found myself persuaded by many of the proponents’ arguments, and on paper, their position seemed more compelling than the opponents’. Yet, even thinking rationally and setting aside value judgments, I oppose the notion that ‘rape is an adaptation’.
To argue that ‘rape is a product of adaptation,’ one must precisely define adaptation. While the first paragraph summarized the book’s content to define adaptation, consulting an actual Korean dictionary reveals that adaptation refers to morphological and physiological changes in organisms to suit their environment. Yet rape is neither a morphological change nor a physiological change. Darwin’s concept of ‘natural selection’ refers to organisms adapting to their environment through the emergence or disappearance of certain traits or characteristics. Yet the act of rape is not an instinctive or unconscious means of survival; it is merely an impulsive act arising from an inability to control one’s own desires. My argument is that rape is primarily an extreme method for satisfying one’s own desires, rather than serving species reproduction.
According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, adaptation is also a process of natural selection. When this process accumulates over many generations, traits advantageous for survival are selected, while others are eliminated, leading to evolution. However, rape has been repeated across many generations yet is still perpetrated only by a tiny minority and has not been selected by nature. In other words, rape is not an adaptation. To draw an analogy, just because a deformed child is born, it does not mean that deformity is an adaptation to the environment; rather, it is a result of a faulty mutation caused by environmental issues. Such deformities are then eliminated, and through natural selection, they do not pass on to the next generation.
Proponents argue that we should think rationally about whether rape is an adaptation, without assigning value judgments. They claim rape could be adaptive because biologically, the act of rape might offer survival advantages. However, the concepts of evolution or adaptation cannot exclude the issue of ‘ethics’. The very reason humans are viewed differently from other animals is precisely because we possess reasoning abilities like ‘ethics’. If we simply accept the fact that rape is being considered rationally, as proponents do, this equates humans with other animals. Rape is fundamentally at odds with conventional human ethical concepts, making the act itself unjustifiable. This is ultimately why rape cannot be considered adaptive. In other words, rape is an unnecessary element in human evolution and, psychologically speaking, an act contrary to human evolution and adaptation.
Furthermore, while some explain incestuous or same-sex rape as byproducts of adaptation, the evidence and arguments supporting this are severely lacking. It is common knowledge to anyone who has studied biology that breeding through incestuous mating can, if mishandled, produce generations prone to mutations or environmental weakness. Calling such an act, which runs counter to the evolution of the species, a byproduct of adaptation is a significant disconnect. Moreover, same-sex rape produces no offspring, making it less a byproduct of adaptation and more a simple process of sexual gratification. This ultimately implies that rape itself is merely a means of sexual release.
The concept of adaptation discussed here is closely linked to evolution. That is, adaptation enables a species to evolve. However, rape cannot be considered a path toward evolution. Since men are not prevented from engaging in sexual intercourse in daily life, or restricted for any reason, they can reproduce through means other than rape. Moreover, some men who commit rape have wives or children. To claim that rape is an adaptive process for species propagation even in such cases is incorrect, and the gap between the assertion and its basis is too wide.
