[ExI] the formerly rich and their larvae, was: Impressive book: Farewell to Alms

[Tom Tobin]

On 2/4/08, Stathis Papaioannou <stathisp at gmail.com> wrote:
> r/K selection theory is about evolution, i.e. selection of genetic
> variants that are more likely to result in r or K behaviour. In modern
> societies, the decision to have more or fewer children is a voluntary
> one.

"Voluntary" is a tricky term; what about the psychological pressure to
actively *reproduce*, as a goal (vs. mere sex-as-goal), that many
people (particularly females) seem to experience?

> I don't see how evolutionary psychology could have foreseen birth
> control, or how genetically determined brain changes influencing birth
> control choices could develop in a matter of, at most, centuries.

Drives can be flexible; if the goal is reproduction (vs. sex, as
above), it becomes fairly easy for any given subject to route around
birth control (even when desired by a given partner!).