The enfant terrible of the leftists turned conservatives, David Horrowitz, points out that the American left has its own version of creationism.
The name of this theory is "social constructionism," and its churches are Women's Studies departments in universities across the United States. The feminist theory of social construction maintains that the differences between men and women -- apart from obvious anatomical ones -- are not biologically determined but created by a patriarchal social structure designed by men to oppress women. It is "patriarchal society" that turns naturally bisexual infants into male and female personalities by conditioning them from birth to adopt gender roles -- the one aggressive, masculine and destined to command, the other passive, feminine and slated to obey.
The left has always vigorously embraced Darwinism whenever it collided with Biblical faith. The response of the various Churches to Darwinism has been either to reject it outright, or to argue, as I gather Rome does, that the human soul is a special case. God gave one set of laws (natural laws) to all of creation except man; man alone is privy to Divine law and morality. Horowitz points out (and I believe he is the first to recognize this) that the left in general and feminists scholars in particular, have their own theory of special creation. Human society alone is exempt from Darwinian mechanics. Animals behave by instinct. Human sexual and social behavior is entirely learned.
The only trouble with this leftist theory of special creation is that it is false. Human beings eat, poop, and breed pretty much like chimpanzees. They share a lot of their social and sexual habits with our hairy relatives as well. Some years ago I organized a panel on Larry Arnhart's book, Darwinian Natural Right. Frans de Waal served on that panel. Today, the Washington Post reports some of his latest findings.
When Emory University primatologist Frans de Waal read a news story that said Microsoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, had hurled a chair across the room on hearing an employee was going to work for rival Google, the scientist immediately made a connection with his own research: "When I see such behavior, I think of a chimpanzee."
Another time, a researcher that de Waal knew told him that whenever she chatted with another scientist in the hallway, her boss would get upset. He would later drop by her office and tell her she ought to stay clear of that person.
"He was constantly interfering whenever she had a contact with an important person," de Waal said. "Chimpanzees also divide and rule. You have an alpha male, and he will try to keep his supporters away from his rivals. His supporters are in trouble if they groom one of his rivals."
Human beings are indeed a special animal. Our souls are vast and deep beyond anything we find in the animal world. But we are at least animals. Human violence mirrors that of chimpanzees, and human sexual behavior shows many of the same patterns found in virtually all mammals, birds, and fish. The left doesn't want to hear this because it doesn't want to believe that nature might put limitations on social progress. But leftist creationism is just as unscientific as religious creationism. The churches and Women's Studies Departments should buck up, and take an honest look at what science is telling them. I'm guessing that the former will like it more than the latter.
ps. The happy couple depicted above are bonobos, not chimpanzees. Bonobos prefer love to war.
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