Evolution and Homosexuality

For many years, an incongruity has existed between evolution and a genetic explanation for homosexuality. If, as many argue, homosexuality is genetically determined then how does that fit into an evolutionary system that only rewards reproduction?

Wouldn’t evolution have weeded out what would certainly be a “flaw” in that evolution only rewards reproduction? The difficulty highlights the difficulty between the theory that homosexuality is genetic or that evolution explains everything.

But what do liberals do when science and ideology collide? They either ignore the science or they make up pretend science. (Remember “Hide the decline”?) Scientists have essentially ignored how unrelenting nature could find some evolutionary benefit to homosexuals who would seemingly be a genetic dead end, until now.

One scientist is resurrecting an old discredited theory by saying natural selection keeps the “gay gene” around because gay people make great uncles and aunts. Seriously. The ol’ ‘Uncle Bruce sings showtunes to Tommy and makes us all a happier family’ scientific theory. Yeah, that sounds scientific.

Scienceline reports:

The kin selection hypothesis, introduced in the 1970s, proposed a possible advantage homosexuality would have for humans. The hypothesis says that while homosexual individuals do not directly pass on their genes to successive generations by having children, they indirectly spread their genes through their families.

By devoting their energy to raise their nieces and nephews instead of having children of their own, homosexuals would allow their siblings to have more children and ensure that these offspring live to have children of their own. Thus, homosexual individuals would promote greater reproductive and survival rates of the relatives who share many identical genes with them — including those that may contribute to homosexuality — guaranteeing these genes are passed on to future family members.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people tell me they were only going to have two kids until their brother came out of the closet so they had six instead. That’s happened to everyone, right?

Now, many 20th century studies have shown this not to be true. But this one “scientist” went over to Samoa and lived with them for many months each year and he discovered that while Western civilization may be getting away from homosexuals spending more time and nephews and nieces, perhaps it used to be true as he says it is in the more traditional Samoan culture.

So while it’s not true anymore it used to be true and that solves that dilemma. Whew.

And surprise surprise the man who performed the study is gay but insists that doesn’t color his studies which will appear in Psychological Science next month.

Here’s the thing. Liberals have a few givens that they can’t abandon no matter what happens. Evolution and homosexuality having a genetic explanation are two of the biggies. So when the two prove incongruent, liberals will believe or pretend to believe anything as long as their presumptions go unquestioned.