The Unsure Male
by Roy T James
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Look at males of any species. It is not difficult to see that the areas they monopolize are, invariably, careless attitude, unprofessional approach or needless aggression.
Look at males of any species in society. It is not difficult to see that the areas they monopolize are, invariably, careless attitude, unprofessional approach or needless aggression. Most, who acknowledge such gender-based preferences in behavior, are at a loss, to pin-point the cause.
If we look among plants, delicious fruits, odorous and pretty flowers, appropriate extent of solidity, toughness, and other physical attributes of seeds can be found exemplifying the multitude of measures instituted by nature for promoting actions that shall result in the next generation, the first step in evolution. For animal life too, certain superfluity exists, like make-up, fragrance, ornaments, dress or other accompaniments. However, one question however pops up; why has nature left such a significant facet of the continuation of life to such flimsy and temporal factors, and the capriciousness of individual choice? Well, here, a thorough examination into the life and style of animals can show that each and every instance of sexual union ends in an utterly disagreeable finale, where, the male always is the recipient of unmentionable disgust and anger life threatening violence.
It seems the immediate thought of our forefathers was of the calamity waiting for humans (males) if something is not done to prevent the above, and took appropriate steps. All that we celebrate today as unique human qualities are in fact the cascading effect of those 'appropriate actions'. That certainly has made the human (males') life very comfortable, but put a stop to further studies in this regard. Else, human race would have been richer by one more branch of knowledge.
We can now take a close look at this imbroglio, and untangle each and every issue facing the human race now, and also some insight into the ones which are yet to appear.
Excerpt:
There is now a need to revisit evolution and study deeply, the manifestation of different elements that take part in the trouble-free progression of life. What we need to look for is a promoting agent. Let us try to simplify matters a little. Look for undocumented and unobserved peculiarities in the character and living habits of all forms of life. For, it is clear, if we assume that all known, different facets of life and evolution have been satisfactorily explained, a detailed study of undocumented elements is quite likely to lead us to our destination. In short, let us once again study life, right from its beginning, the very start of evolution. And let us look for a sign showing a ‘want’ to evolve.
So far, nobody would have felt the need to look for a starting point for evolution, since evolution has been seen only as a natural process with no specific cause. It is considered as an event set in motion and promoted, more or less solely by environmental factors. I have come across many arguments in favor of such a view. I think these are all quite flimsy, like the logical reason behind the long neck of giraffes - that these animals like to eat leaves of tall trees. (This evidently is not a worthy reason. It is more natural to conclude that because of long necks, these animals found it easier to survive on the leaves of tall trees.) In short, giving the prime position to environmental factors is plainly counter-intuitive. You see, something can happen only when it is initiated.
Even if we agree with all exponents of the origin of life, who maintain that evolution can be initiated without a specific spark, there is only one possibility for the unhindered continuation of life. Every living being, showing at all times, a specific desire to evolve. This and many other features exist, in each individual being’s unique, unconscious, and repetitive way of responding to (or avoiding) the main tasks of living. Another interesting fact is that this is true for all forms of life. Further investigation has become a necessity now. More so, since quite a few of these features do not find a mention at all, in the books and papers related to this topic.
As most of these are linked with the progression of life itself, it is only proper, if we begin our study by asking a rather fundamental question in this regard.
What is the root cause of evolution? Why should beings evolve?
What is in vogue is to answer such questions, pointing to environmental changes which in turn promote genetic changes. Ever since the publication of ‘On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life’ by Charles Robert Darwin, many studies have gone into the mechanism of evolution. His theory still holds, successfully facing the many challenges posed mostly in connection with the finer details of its materialization. Of course, the alterations and additions contributed by scientists such as Gregor Mendel, deVries, Haldane, Dobzhansky, Futuyma and several others standing in good stead.
Almost all such studies can be seen to be focusing on the minor changes within a species from generation to generation over long periods of time. And also, how these minor changes result in the gradual transition of the species to a new one. However, not much has been written about its causes. What is motivating such a change? Why shouldn’t there be any opposition to evolution? (For example, motion can begin, only by fighting against inertia, and to continue, it has to subdue friction.) Conceding that the question as to how life evolved is explained more or less satisfactorily by all these theories, why it evolved in the manner it did, does not seem to have attracted much attention. The motive for evolution remains an unsolved puzzle, that too with no attempts of resolution in sight.
Henri Bergson, the French philosopher, was very critical about Darwinism. According to him, Darwinism failed to explain why life evolved in the direction of greater and greater complexity. He then proposed the existence of ‘élan vital’, a kind of vital impetus which explains evolution in a less mechanical and more lively manner, as well as accounting for the creative impulse of mankind. This substance, ‘elan vital’, according to him, is the ‘thing’ responsible for growth, change, and necessary or desirable adaptations. (Sanskrit ‘prana’ and Chinese ‘chi’ also refers to something of similar function) This is, what is driving animal life to take the path of improvement. He named this journey as self-evolution and was awarded the Nobel Prize (1927 prize for Literature “in recognition of his rich and vitalizing ideas and the brilliant skill with which they have been presented") for his work. Put briefly, contrary to the popular belief that those who try to develop themselves spiritually are primarily aiming for self-preservation, self-improvement, and self-growth, they are in fact working on behalf of evolution itself.
Now let us examine why life evolved in the direction of increasing complexity. Bergson’s theory suggests that the enhanced complexity is due to the creative path, life has chosen. A couple of questions arise here. What prompted life to choose such a path? Conceding that animal life is driven to a path of constant improvement, what is getting better? Also, as his theory posits, the important thing about self-evolution is that it is a conscious attempt at the process of evolution. As it happens with any other instance of conscious effort, shouldn’t there be something inspiring, provoking or inducing this? Especially when we find in nature, inducements existing aplenty for making every form of life, plant or animal, behave the way nature wants it to behave.
In a more recent review of this question, Richard Dawkins, through his book The Selfish Gene, has put forward a gene-centered view of evolution. According to this view, emphasis should be on the propensity of the genes to survive. That is, life first began from a ‘replicator’ that could make approximate copies of itself, and those ‘replicators’(genes) which happen to install themselves on machines that helped them copy better would reproduce more. Bodies are just ‘gigantic lumbering robots performing their role as survival machines’ of genes.
If so, what could be motivating such a machine to help one gene more appropriately than another one in copying itself? For we can see, some people, that is life with certain attributes, perpetuate more readily than another. Also, life having certain attributes shall continue its presence for a long time while others fade away. Also, what factor or factors shall be of consequence in leading some forms of life to extinction?
We have already collected a good bunch of questions, all of those pointing to the inadequacy of the theories extant on evolution. If we peep further into the vast riches of this branch of knowledge, evidently, much more are likely. Therefore we need to review the many aspects of ‘trouble free progression of life’, to collate all possible queries. Let us look at evolution from the very beginning, paying close attention to the less explored areas.
