Infidelity 'is in the genes'

BBC News ^ | Wednesday, 30 October, 2002, 00:38 GMT | Staff (Professor Robert Winston)

[Houmatt]

This is such Barbra Streisand. Women cannot help themselves when they fool around?

Selfish liberal think tanks are always coming up with excuses for bad behavior. Why should this be any different?

[js1138]

The "in the genes" argument neve fails to amuse me. The last time I looked we weren't passing laws and making rules to keep us from doing things we didn't want to do. I don't think there are any laws forbidding us from putting our hands on hot stoves, nor are there any laws requiring us to indulge occasionally in a nice candy bar.

[for-q-clinton]

Wow, this is great news. Finally, I'll be able to convince my wife that I don't need to get snipped; rather, she needs to get tied.

[BuddhaBoy]

I am not a rock, I am a chemical puppet.

Did you ever watch your hand pull away from a hot spot preventing you from getting burned before you could even think about it?

Sure, you have choices, but there are powerful forces at play in your body, that you have no control over whatsoever. Hormones control a lot of a person's personality and behavior. Were this not so, there would be no market for Prozac, or even alcohol for that matter.

Your behavior is largely dependant on the chemical soup effecting your brain. If you dont believe that, then I guess we should all be free to drink and drive?

You cannot deny that behavior is not strongly dependant upon the chemical makeup in your brain.

[BuddhaBoy]

Get snipped anyway.

[irish guard]

>>>>>>Seems to me womens sex drive may be a bit stronger around closing time<<<<Any of you other men experienced that?

[Boatlawyer]

Instead, in modern America, we say "Oh, my genes make me act this way, so it's no big deal."

Uh, this study was done and conclusions drawn in the UK. You'll just have to slam all of western civilization on this one, I guess

[MEGoody]

"While her partner might be a better bet to bring up children and support her, another man might carry genes which mean healthier, stronger children."

"Morgan Wise, a train driver from Big Spring in Texas, found this out when his youngest son was found to have cystic fibrosis, a devastating lung disorder caused by a single faulty gene."

The husband didn't father this child. If the scientists' 'assumption' is that this 'wanderlust' is caused by some sort of 'natural selection' that drives women to select the most genetically perfect men to father their kids, their assumption is obviously incorrect.

[kidd]

Sure, you have choices, but there are powerful forces at play in your body, that you have no control over whatsoever. Hormones control a lot of a person's personality and behavior

What a complete load of crap. Yeah we have urges. Human beings are different from animals specifically because we can control ourselves. Adultery is just about the worst non-violent thing that one person can do to another. Some men and women lack consideration in this area. Most men and women do not lack this consideration. This article is simply making excuses for the sluts of the world. I have seen similar articles for men. I have no use for anyone who strays.

Read the article carefully. The university study only found that women view men differently at different times of their menstrual cycle. It is the writer of the article who made the giant leap that this is an excuse for cheating.

[xrp]

Who in their right mind would get married today?

Exactly.

[MEGoody]

"Though Chris Rock said it about men, it is true that both men and women are as faithful as their options."

Maybe that is true of you and Chris Rock, but there are many of us who have actual morals and standards which are not in place simply because we can't get any anywhere else.

[William Terrell]

Evidently, ovulation makes the ladies horny, not wise or discerning. Which follows; when you're body is ready to be impregnated, then it stands to reason you're instincts direct you to make use of it.

[BuddhaBoy]

Human beings are different from animals specifically because we can control ourselves.

Can we? I doubt it. If we could, there would be no need for state-sanctioned marriage, would there? I mean, it basically boils down to a contract against adultery, right?

Beyond that, you might have a problem finding a distinction between an excuse for cheating, and an explaination. I dont see anyone making excuses for adultery, I see someone trying to explain adultery.

The fact is that Adultery has been around forever, regardless of it's obvious negative impact on families. Why is this? It is lazy thinking to just call everyone who cheats a "slut".

It is fine to make a moral judgement against cheaters if you wish, but there are valid reasons for trying to understand WHY people cheat as well. Bottom Line: People cheat, and will continue to do so.

[MEGoody]

"Your behavior is largely dependant on the chemical soup effecting your brain. If you dont believe that, then I guess we should all be free to drink and drive?"

I'm sorry, what is the point of this statement? It sounds as though you are saying if people are not driven by 'chemical soup' then they should be able to drink and drive. Huh?

If we are only driven by 'chemical soup' over which we have no control, then laws are pointless - we can't blame anyone for any action they take. But if, as I would asset, we are much more than 'chemical soup', having laws is a valid endeavor and we CAN hold people accountable for their actions.

[MEGoody]

"Adultery is just about the worst non-violent thing that one person can do to another."

It's not physically violent, but it is most certainly emotional 'violence'.

[bankwalker]

Listen closely as the concept of "Free Will" gets flushed down the toilet once more.

[MEGoody]

"Can we? I doubt it. If we could, there would be no need for state-sanctioned marriage, would there? I mean, it basically boils down to a contract against adultery, right?"

How does a 'contract' suddenly make one able to control him/herself? Your statement is extremely illogical.

[BuddhaBoy]

then laws are pointless - we can't blame anyone for any action they take.

Any thinking person would have to admit that laws do not prevent crime. That doesnt make them pointless. We can certainly blame criminals for their actions.

You fail to raise a distinction between explanation, and responsibility. No one said that if cheating could be explained, that it would sease to be wrong, nor did anyone say that because cheating exists, that it should be excused.

You are projecting.

[discipler]

A few years ago Evolutionary Psychologists suggested that male unfaithfulness and acts of rape are explained by an animal instinct to preserve the species. In other words, men are not faithful to their spouses because latent genes from early in man’s evolution progress still reside the DNA. This is pure bunk.
Now they are at it again. Now a BBC documentary, called Human Instinct, “explains how human sexual instincts are so strong that some women's preferences may alter significantly while they are ovulating…. A study at the University of Stirling seems to pinpoint the instinct which might tempt some women to stray around the time of the month they are fertile….While her partner might be a better bet to bring up children and support her, another man might carry genes which mean healthier, stronger children.” Again, this is pure bunk. These so-called instincts are depicted in the Bible as fornication and adultery and those who practice such things will not go to heaven.
Evolution is anti-God and in its purest form is hostile to Christian morality. The human genetic code has no latent gene that ‘tempts’ men and women to do what is immoral. Take your stand upon the Word of God and proclaim the truth. “And God said, ‘let Us make man in our image.’” – Genesis 2:26 - Discipler

[BuddhaBoy]

How does a 'contract' suddenly make one able to control him/herself?

IT DOESNT!!

That is my point! Marriage does NOT prevent adultery, nor do laws prevent crime.

Both occur regardless of any moral standard one would hope to impose. I'm not excusing it. I am only pointing out facts.