The Importance of Adaptation in Evolution

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Andrew Sullivan: Nobody's denying that we're all evolved by natural selection, but doesn't follow from that that every trait that we have is the result of an adaptation. I mean, these are falsifiable questions. If it doesn't work according to the way that evolutionary mechanisms would be hypothesized to work in terms of selective value, then you wouldn't find them working that way. But yeah, there are plenty of things that just simply are here. It's like the color of our blood, for instance. There's any specific reason that it's red. We'll take a break and talk about that.

Psychologist and author Jesse Bering joins us to talk about evolutionary psychology and his forthcoming book Perv. In the relatively uncontroversial part of the episode, we ask if homophobia is an adaptation and if women have evolved rape defenses. After that, sex with animals, sex with bookshelves, foot fetishes, amputee fetishes, falling down the stairs fetishes... I don't know, just listen. Or maybe don't.

Jesse Bering [jessebering.com]

Perv (pre-order) by Jesse Bering [amazon.com]

"Darwin's Rape Whistle," by Jesse Bering [slate.com]

"Natural Homophobes?" by Jesse Bering [scientificamerican.com]

The Belief Instinct by Jesse Bering [amazon.com]

Why is the Penis Shaped Like That? by Jesse Bering [amazon.com]

"I think you're some kind of deviated prevert." [youtube.com]

Special Guest: Jesse Bering.

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