Estrus means that we have a "season" when the males and females want to mate, but otherwise there is no sexual urge between us. Without the constant sexual tension, how different would we have been as a culture?
2006-09-15 08:37:25 · 6 answers · asked by Isis 7 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
I think that maybe you are thinking more along the lines of "sexual frustration" rather than sexual tension. In Plato's Symposium, Pausanius states that the reason why the Persians are more prone to warfare and civil unrest is because the leaders of the Empire have placed strict sexual taboos, prohibiting the people to enact their sexuality freely, which can in effect, lead to sexual frustration. Religion, in particular, calls for certain sexual acts to be prohibited (homosexuality, sodomy, etc.) and when these desires are oppressed by whatever authority one abides to, as Freud defends as well, it can lead to violence. To return to Pausanius, he believes that because the Greek culture has so openly allowed men to take on boy lovers, they can be peaceful, and they have the will and power to philosophize. Men in particular, express their emotions through sexual release, and when they are prohibited from releasing this emotion, it can cause them to become angry and somewhat confused, because they don't necessarily have the same capability that women do to express their emotions verbally. When sex is free and open, people generally tend to be happier. Sex in both women and men releases endorphines, a necessary chemical in the brain for pleasure. To comment on your idea of "estrus," well, there might be a reason why humans have not maintained the evolutionary adaptation of "estrus." Men do not have a time when they are most fertile, women do, and this could be because we have developed a new adaptation to help our species survive and dominate, where we don't have to rely on "estrus" to become impregnated. Species like the Panda are dying out, not only because of deforestation, but also because their time of "estrus" is so slight, that mating is incredibly difficult. So...anyway, I think that estrus doesn't have much to do with whether or not our civilzation would be more peaceful, I think peace, as far as it can be exemplfied in sexual terms, is obtained when sexual practices are embraced, not suppressed.
2006-09-15 09:54:07 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well judging from Desmond Morris' theories on the matter there wouldn't BE a culture - because there wouldn't be us.
In either the "Naked Ape" or the "Human Zoo", I don't know which, he noted that human's have sex more than apes. He saw the fact that we have sex outside a fertile period as a way of keeping the pair-bond together (presumably the argument would be that when we evolved we didn't live long enough for "bits on the side" to destroy the pair bond). The pair-bond is naturally very important for humans as our kids don't grow up as quickly as apes' and you need two to look after a toddler!
2006-09-15 09:04:25 · answer #2 · answered by anthonypaullloyd 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that 'sexual tension' has had very little to do with reasons for war. Ideology, internal cultural pressures, and starvation of one group have been the biggests precursors to wars in the past. So, don't let those big college professors scare you into thinking its all about sex, because, sometimes a rocket launcher is just a rocket launcher.
2006-09-15 08:42:06 · answer #3 · answered by Michael E 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, we would still have sexual tension during the estrus, perhaps it is society trying to limit our sex- it is a drive innate in all of us.
2006-09-15 10:32:18 · answer #4 · answered by nonametomention 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe there would be no civilization
2006-09-15 08:44:41 · answer #5 · answered by Pseudo Obscure 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
we would have been vulcan
2006-09-15 10:35:22 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋