TagDayk Jang

This blog post explores whether rape could be an adaptive behavior for survival and reproduction during human evolution, from scientific and evolutionary psychological perspectives.   To answer any question, one must first understand it clearly. “Is rape adaptive?” is no exception. While we need not debate what rape is, we must first clearly define what an adaptation is to answer this...

In this blog post, we’ll compare Dawkins’ and Gould’s arguments for evolution, and explore whether evolution happens gradually or abruptly.   Darwin’s Table is a fierce debate between two of the biggest names in evolutionary theory, Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould. After a half-century of being criticized by creationism, evolutionary theory has become the...

In this blog post, we explore the debate over whether rape is an evolutionary adaptation and delve into why it should be treated as an ethical issue.   As evolutionary theory has evolved, there have been various discussions about what can be subject to natural selection. One controversial topic is the question “Is rape an adaptation?” This question was first addressed in Thornhill’s...

In this blog post, Darwin’s Table takes a deep dive into the question of whether evolution is really a process of change for the better.   Are plants and animals in the natural world evolving in a progressive way? In the past, we’ve assumed that the structure of the body and the brain have evolved over time in a self-evident direction of increasing complexity, but reading...

This blog post explores whether rape can be interpreted as an adaptation from an evolutionary perspective. In doing so, it brings together the evolutionary causes of human behavior and the ethical controversy.   In the book Darwin’s Table, written by Korean professor Daeik Jang, prominent scholars debate whether male rape behavior is an adaptation or not. Leading adaptationists...

This blog post explores whether the surge in rape during wartime is an expression of evolutionary instinct or a means of strategic violence.   Rape is one of the most heinous crimes, regardless of country or era. Therefore, efforts to understand its causes—both from humanities and social science perspectives and through scientific inquiry—are underway to find ways to prevent it. One such...

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 blog post, we explore whether the act of rape is an evolutionary adaptation or part of a gene propagation strategy.   Rape and Evolution Some organisms developed gills to adapt to aquatic environments, while certain plants evolved nectar glands to attract insects. In this way, all organisms existing on Earth today have continuously evolved to keep pace with an ever-changing...

This blog post explores the question of whether genes drive evolution, focusing on the debate between Dawkins and Gould.   ‘Darwin’s Table’ is a book capturing the fierce debate between Richard Dawkins and Stephen J. Gould, two giants of evolutionary theory. Evolutionary theory, once mocked by creationists, has now spread as the accepted scientific consensus among people over the past...

This blog post examines the scientific debate over whether rape is an evolutionary adaptation or a byproduct of sexual desire mechanisms.   Before beginning this blog post, I want to mention that this blog post cannot make value judgments about whether rape is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. I believe science has no place in making value judgments about rape. Science can only determine the truth...