Dmytry comments on Evolutionary psychology: evolving three eyed monsters - Less Wrong

14 Post author: Dmytry 16 March 2012 09:28PM

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Comment author: Eugine_Nier 17 March 2012 09:42:56PM 1 point [-]

So are you trying to argue that male sexual jealousy is a learned behavior?

My argument for it being genetic is that it makes sense that a selfish gene wouldn't want you to waste resources raising children that aren't your own, whereas there is no reason for selfish memes to care.

Comment author: Dmytry 17 March 2012 10:02:47PM *  0 points [-]

The selfish gene could try not to waste resources raising children that are not possessing the gene. That works even better.

I think it is mostly learned what to be jealous about, possibly with some evolutionary assist that is nowhere as specific as jealousy, and has a lot of side effects. Furthermore, there are cultures where the host offers wives to strangers, as a form of hospitality. Possibly to breed more wives (I just came up with evo psych explanation for this on spot).

It's awful easy to rationalize any moral system evolutionarily, that's why it isn't good science.

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 17 March 2012 10:10:41PM 1 point [-]

The selfish gene could try not to waste resources raising children that are not possessing the gene. That works even better.

If a single gene could do that, it probably would.

You still haven't presented any plausible explanation for why the meme of jealousy would arise at all.

Comment author: Dmytry 17 March 2012 10:15:26PM *  0 points [-]

What's about disliking trespass on your property in general? (edit: and use of your property) Now that definitely has evolved in animals long before serious pair bonding, and can serve the function just fine.

edit: The crux of the issue is that saying 'jealousy is evolved' is a fake explanation like phlogiston, that stops further inquiry (when further enquiry is still well warranted via the 'difficulty to evolve' based prior that is not unlike occam's razor).

edit: ahh, by the way, consider female jealousy, and the jealousy for the sake of not losing the partner.

Comment author: gwern 18 March 2012 01:32:47AM 0 points [-]

The selfish gene could try not to waste resources raising children that are not possessing the gene. That works even better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green-beard_effect

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 18 March 2012 02:20:19AM *  1 point [-]

I'm not sure Green-beard effects can actually occur in practice since a mutation that kept the Green beard while destroying the pathway for self-altruism would out-compete the original Green beards.