The Seven Enigmas of Sex
Human sexuality does not fit the procreation-centric view promulgated by both religion and evolutionary psychology
The procreation-centric view of sex
There are two ways of looking at sex. From the scientific standpoint, sex is a biological function to procreate, that is, to pass our genes to future generations. From the personal standpoint, sex is something that we do for pleasure, moved by our sexual desire and our longing for connection and intimacy.
We have been convinced by both science and religion that there is no contradiction between these views. Science, and in particular evolutionary psychology, tell us that lust and pleasure are caused by behavioral drives to spread our genes. Furthermore, it says that men and women have different reproductive strategies: men want to have sex with as many women as possible and so have a higher sex drive, whereas women are coy and select their sexual partners with care because they make a higher investment in pregnancy and raising the young.
Religions have been promulgating this procreation-centric view of sexuality for centuries. Their puritanical morality says that the only righteous sexual acts are those that produce offspring. However, this sexual morality crashes against our…
