Should rape be punished?

Question

From a strictly scientific standpoint, rape could be seen as an evolutionary advancement that increases an organisms chance of survival. It could be said that rapist are more advanced than non-rapist. Since survival is good is rape good too? What are your thoughts on the subject?

Answer 1

Even if you are evolutionarily correct 100% you would still be committing the " naturalistic fallacy ". Just because it is natural ( evolved ) to do something, does not mean that something is good. Murder is the greatest conflict resolution technique evolved, but it is proscribed in every society on earth. So is rape, even though it may be a contingent strategy of some marginalized male with no other chance of reproductive success. We do not know enough yet to come to any conclusions here except one. The Susan Brownmiller nonsense about rape not having anything to do with sex, but just with violence/power is totally unsupported scientifically and is dependent on the word of convicted rapists in the most part. Plus leading women into " date rape " disasters. Rape could not be seen as anything like a evolutionary advancement, though, as defense against rape and revenge for rape would preclude rape as anything but a evolutionary " gamble " of a desperate organism. We are not scorpion flies, so are not directly adapted to rape.

PS As to your question. Rape needs to be punished severely. No one has the right to treat someone else in such a manner. I suggest you relive your confusion between description and prescription.

Answer 2

Rape is devolutionary-- It deprives the female of her right to choose her mate, which also involves evaluations of the fittest males to mate with.

Rape doesn't increase an organisms chance of survival. The rapist isn't going to survive longer because he rapes. And furthermore, the liklihood that any fetus created in the rape will be killed before it reaches the seond trimester increases markedly.

Rape circumvents the evolutionary processes, and indeed, risks bad genetic material that should not be reproduced being forced into existence (and that does not even begin to delve into the moral and ethical issues that come into play with this subject.

Answer 3

I give any rapist who tries to advance his genetics with me about a 1 in a 1,000,000 chance of success, because 1) I will do everything I can to either blow his head off or stick a knife in him, and 2) there is no way in Hades I'd carry his offspring to term. With that in mind, I'd say a rapist is a far cry from an advance in survival. By his very actions, he's reducing his survival odds considerably. If I don't kill him, I'm betting the prison system will make him wish I had.

Ya catch more bar flies with honey than with a beat down.

Answer 4

if this is evolution, then think about this: male animals have to do a song and dance and be attractive in order to get a female partner to have sex and make little animal babies. The animal doesn't force the female animal to have sex. The female gets to choose. So, from a "strictly scientific standpoint," your theory doesn't work. And if rape is a form of survival, then why do some women end up getting killed? That doesn't sound like survival to me!

Answer 5

Funny of you to conveniently forget the rapes that end in murder.

You sound like an enabler. Rape rarely has the aim or result of procreation. Rape poisons women towards men, reducing the odds that she will find a decent man and reproduce. Rapists that have been castrated will still rape... how is that going to lead to reproduction? Simple, it produces another victim who then is gifted with a f---ed up view of power and control and usually turns to - in ways unique to the victim - victimize others. Although how men respond is obvious, women respond in a more subtle fashion: emotional and psychological abuse and power games, They destroy careers, politically assault kind men, and generally also start working towards making the world a more miserable place.

You might call rape a devolution or dysfunctional mutation, but really it is a destructive learned behavior. Many people resist the lesson, but as long as we continue to allow repeat offenders back into the community we will continue to irresponsibly contribute to the destruction of community and society.

Not only should rapists be punished, I am for the death penalty for repeat offenders. Actually, that's my compromise position. Really, I'd like to see them all die and would be happy to pull the trigger myself if there is ever the opportunity.

Answer 6

What you're trying to argue is skewed. Rape, in terms of what human-on-human rape can be viewed as, is a matter of violence and dominance, not reproduction. A rapist does not rape for sexual gratification or to spread their offspring, but to satisfy a need to victimize someone.

Animals that pseudo-rape females do so because they are not the most desirable partner for the females. Its an act of desperation to try and edge their way in. Moreover, there are even instances of a female animal killing the male when they try and mate them out of season.

Answer 7

Evolution? OK - now put down whatever you are smoking and pay attention. Rape is not about the sex - it is about the power and making another submit to the rapist's will. I feel they should be punished severely. I will not go into details - but anyway you look at this it is morally wrong and psychologically damaging to the victims

Answer 8

Andrew,

You are totally missing the point.

Rape is not about propagating the species. Rape is about hate, control and inflicting pain.

I think the methods and sentencing guidelines for rapists are not strict enough. Anything short of physical and chemical castration, and in particularly heinous cases, the death sentence should be mandatory.

Answer 9

YEs it should.
ANd you're wrong. Rapes don't exactly increase survival if the rapist is killed, or the person who was raped.
If someone tried to rape me, they would get a nasty surprise.

Answer 10

Are you trying to justify something? There are plenty of people out there who don't use rape to pro-create. Rapists are only looking for control and self-satisfaction.