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On the Origin of Species - Charles Darwin
7/10/2009
"On the Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin is a surprisingly good read. I'd imagined it'd be a dry and dull inventory of scientific findings but it's far more approachable - I suspect because he wrote the text to persuade as much as to inform.
His section on the evolutionary forces that created neuter insects I found particularly interesting. Could a similar effect have created gays? Certainly gay men seem over-represented in the arts and intellectual arenas proportional to their numbers. Could it be that their freedom from child-rearing allows them to pursue and excel in such endeavors, and if so, could this benefit to society have caused it to be selected by nature?
Looking at my own brother, with his two small girls, I can see just how eclipsing children are. His hobbies and pastimes have largely disappeared. He works to make a living, and he rears the next generation, and has little time afforded for much else.
But gays do have time to craft the art, to design the buildings, to ruminate on the deeper questions. So perhaps being gay isn't a "mistake" at all but an intentional and important cog in the greater good of humanity.
Just a thought, and an interesting notion of what might constitute a meaningful life to any childless person.
7/10/2009 | Permanent Link
