Disclaimer*
For a start, evolution is not "intelligent", "perfect", or "directed".
What we are, as organisms, is a consequence of our history, our environment, and a bit of luck. We are not perfectly adapted to our surroundings and habits. We are merely better than some others who might have been here in our stead.
Human anatomy is a function of million-year timescale macro evolution.
Human culture and behaviour is a function of generational to millenial-scale social pressure and individual/group interaction. Our brain-culture-society-tribe interaction breaks many of the "established" rules of evolution. For example, people so short-sighted that they are non-functional as hunters are successful in our "modern" world because the associated/linked brain improvements let them act as the thinkers of a tribe.
It may well be that a process/procedure that is illogial or unnecesary on an evolutionary timescale is nonetheless of benefit on a social/human timescale.
Maybe people got exposed to too many STD's as a result of their rapid spread across the globe and isolation/rejoining patterns. Evolution has not had time to catch-up with this and "eliminate" the "Unneccesary"** foreskin. In this circumstance, a risky process could be of benefit to stave off a newly-acquired risk.
A second and major argument is that in nature it is well-demonstrated that there is very little importance in the survival or not of young offspring. As time goes by and major investment of time, food, energy, effort has gone into an individual, they become more important.
Frankly, it matters little if children die as a result of infection from poor circumcision, if as adults they have a better survival rate and less chance of passing STD's to their offspring. There are so many ways children can die in a tribal world.
In a post-tribal world, the equation changes...
*I'm not circumcised, nor is anyone in my family. I view it as an unneccesary medical procedure in the modern world, but one with relatively low risk (similar to tattooing or body piercing, which are equally "cultural", "wierd" and "unneccesary")
** One can easily argue that the plumage of birds such as Peacocks is "unnecesary", yet they are plumed, for complex reasons...
Off Topic » in reply to Male and Female ritual genital mutillation .
You are wrong in concept and argument.
The whole thread (45 posts)
- Male and Female ritual genital mutillation .
- Many links...
- You are wrong in concept and argument.
- BTW
- re: ????? Sorry....
- Its pretty clear.
- That link was total BS.
- Appendix came out, eh? For health reasons.
- re: Appendix came out, eh? For health reasons.
- Apples and, um, bannanas
- Ooples and banoonoos
- Not a valid comparison?
- Apples and, um, bannanas
- re: Appendix came out, eh? For health reasons.
- re: It is removal of a skin, not of an organ.
- Appendix came out, eh? For health reasons.
