From: usenet@baradel.demon.co.uk   
      
   In message   
   , David   
   Friedman  writes   
   >In article ,   
   > Helen Hall  wrote:   
   >   
   >> In message   
   >> , David   
   >> Friedman  writes   
   >> >In article ,   
   >> > Helen Hall  wrote:   
   >> >   
   >> >> >Why? To the extent that being a good provider is due to heritable   
   >> >> >characteristics, she wants those characteristics for her offspring, so   
   >> >> >why should she bear children by other and worse providers?   
   >> >> >   
   >> >> Because he's cute and charming and fun to be with. As Aqua said, there   
   >> >> is strong selection on the grounds of appearance.   
   >> >>   
   >> >   
   >> >I thought our argument was running on evolutionary line. Certainly I   
   >> >agree that humans, to a considerable extent, succeed in sacrificing the   
   >> >interests of their genes to their own interets, but I didn't think that   
   >> >was the point being made.   
   >> >   
   >> >I took it that "bad strategy" meant "bad strategy for reproductive   
   >> >success," not "bad strategy for being happy."   
   >> >   
   >> But humans don't normally consciously chose their mates for reproductive   
   >> success.   
   >   
   >Of course not. They choose them in part on the basis of choice rules   
   >that led to reproductive success in the past--do so unconsciously--and   
   >in part consciously in order to achieve the objectives of those humans,   
   >which are not necessarily the same as the objectives of their genes.   
   >That's the point of Dawkins' revolting robots metaphor.   
   >   
   But humans do often choose mates on their looks, and as that tendency   
   has persisted over time, that -- according to your argument -- must be a   
   trait that is somehow linked to reproductive success.   
      
   Interestingly there has been some evidence from wild horses that   
   stallions prefer mares that resemble themselves. Again, this must   
   somehow contribute to reproductive success, or at least must have no   
   harmful effects or the tendency would have died out.   
      
   Helen   
      
   --   
   Helen, Gwynedd, Wales *** http://www.baradel.demon.co.uk   
      
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