RE:Is rape natural?

[Cato]

I think you should be careful with the way you throw around the word natural. Your use quickly defines natural as anything that exists; therefore, rendering what is meant to be deep as nothing more than superficially provocative.

Care to make a stronger case regarding rape as an evolved adaptive trait? Probably not since you will be unable to account for instances why women that are clearly not able to reproduce, older and younger, are raped. Even if you were able to make a strong case for rape as an adaptive trait, you will have to deal with the mate selection rituals that are ubiquitious in the animal kingdom. Compare the numbers of instances in an attempt to ascertain which is more natural.

Since your use of natural is so broad it can easily be claimed that our efforts to protect individuals and societies from the effects of rape are also natural. Again, simply based on averages, this would then seem to be more natural than rape.

[Losty]

Also, on a similar note, boys and men are raped which doesn't fit. And women commit rape which really doesn't fit with the whole rape is natural thing.

[LastPoet]

This is the case. IMO Rape happens, murder happens, suicide happens. These are natural, as we are part of nature. Rape is an abuse of someone else's human rights and should be persecuted to the fullest.


It seems that we still have to psychological distance ourselves of the animals we all are.

[LastPoet]

I have heard that x or y is not natural, hence wrong. Be carefull with that reasoning. I can enumerate many reasons why rape is wrong without even going there

[Brakeman]

I would deem the word "natural" in this context to mean flowing in accordance to natural evolutionary processes.
From the evolutionary theories that I have read and agree with, consensual copulation by a receptive female gives rise to feelings of nurture and security to prepare for offspring whereas rape invokes the fight or flight response. Obviously the consensual sex would be evolutionarily rewarded and rape not. Therefore rape is not natural.

[Ksa]

Rape goes against life. That's why rapists are often serial killers too. They take pleasure in ending life, and murder is just the inevitable outcome of rape. Both work hand in hand.