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PHI 200 STUDY GUIDE David Buss, The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating Instructor: Ron White Think about, discuss, and/or write about some the following questions: 1. One of the themes in this course has been the use of “machine” analogies to explain human nature. Human sexuality seems to be driven by unconscious programming (think computers) shaped by natural selection. Compare and contrast male and female strategies. Discuss the difference between the bearing and caring aspects of human mating. How do these strategies change over the course of our lifetimes? 2. Buss argues that human mating strategies evolved about 3 million years ago during the Pleistocene era. Our brains have not evolved much since, but human culture has evolved dramatically. This sets us humans up for a mismatch between our mental mechanisms and our cultural environment. Discuss some of these mismatches. Hint: dissolution of extended families, large urban areas, computer pornography, birth control pills, educational institutions, welfare state, automobiles, etc. 3. Buss compares human mating strategies to strategies employed by other species, especially other mammals. Does this suggest to you that human beings are indeed animals, and that anthropocentric theories that qualitatively elevate the status of humans are no longer tenable? 4. What do you think of Buss’ use of surveys to establish “norms” of sexual behavior? 5. How successful are cultural institutions (most notably religion) at altering human mating strategies? Are there limits? 6. Does an evolutionary perspective on human sexuality necessarily undermine our traditional views of love and romance?