If there was overpopulation of the planet, could it be possible that "nature" would make more people gay/lesbians in order to decrease the population? (I guess bi would help too but not necessarily much)
Not sure if this is clear but it is a question I have often wondered about but I could not find an evolutionary reason why it would be so and this lots of you know much more than I do, I'm asking! Hope I'm not too late though
A more specific way to put it is, if there actually was some sort of genetic strategy for LGBTQ as a density-dependent response to overpopulation pressures (rather than some simpler default explanation like 'sex is a large mutational target' or 'antagonistic pleiotropy' or 'mutation load probably related to evolutionary-recent demographics'), that implies that overpopulation pressures + subsequent LGBTQ response have happened so many times before that a genetic strategy could be repeatedly selected for and refined and blindly evolved. The strategy has to c... (read more)
Thanks for the answer and the link ! I'll go read group selection tomorrow.
1exmateriae
Update : I didn't completely get your (gwern) answer at first but after I read eliezer's post it made more sense, I think I was missing basic information about the topic to fully get it. Your explanation really added something to the original post since it was tailored to the subject I was wondering about.
Thanks!
I don't agree necessarily. People just blindly listen to what people say, I disagree, I don't think people are born gay. I do think overpopulation is a cause for potential for diverted stereotypes. If we are over populated why keep breeding at the same rate, seeing all the kids without homes is enough reason to make me want to be homosexual just saying. I think nothing is predefined completely. I think free will is at the end of the day stronger then any "Genetic Aspect", to the choices we made in life. I don't just blindly believe something, I ask q... (read more)
Not necessarily, but true as well. Good points, but gays, transgenders, and lesbians can now adopt children so they no longer have to produce their own offspring, which is the culprit to over population. I think the LGBTQ community is a much more humane response to over population then how we treat animals when they are over populated. I do think we are more over populated then the animals we try to "Control". Competing for more resources or having children compete for resources, there is no need to worry about extinction at the time because people have children each year. It isn't the only reason alone, but Bo Burnham makes a joke about God Sending gays to fix over population, but boy did that go well, and what would be the point of responding that way if it wasn't a response to something we may not be aware of. Simply saying people are born gay, is putting people in boxes in predetermined molds that no one wants to be put into, much like the articles pushing that sex offenders run in the genes, but that's not true. I think, why we treat them so poorly, nothing adds up, nature vs nurture, its complex and its more then just genetics. Maybe more feminine men are designed to produce girl offspring. Feminine men have a place in life, and masculine women have a place, that shouldnt have to determine their life or who they are going to be. We are over populated and there as too be some response to it.
If there was overpopulation of the planet, could it be possible that "nature" would make more people gay/lesbians in order to decrease the population? (I guess bi would help too but not necessarily much)
Not sure if this is clear but it is a question I have often wondered about but I could not find an evolutionary reason why it would be so and this lots of you know much more than I do, I'm asking! Hope I'm not too late though