On Dec 12, 2008, at 3:15 PM, Dan M wrote: > I think there is some viability in the sociobiological argument that > wealth > increases the attractiveness of men as mates. But, if you look at > "the > selfish gene" as an embodiment of sociobiology, you see that wealth > has had > a paradoxical effect. > > Look at the wealthiest countries in the world. With the exception > of the > US, they have fertility rates below replacement, some (like Japan, > Germany > and Italy) far below replacement. > > The countries with high fertility rates tend to be poorer. Thus, > wealth is > anti-correlated with the probability a person's gene marker will be > seen in > a given member of the Nth generation after one's own (which is a > standard > measure of sociobiological fitness).
In short, affluenza affects reproduction. Dave _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
