Some academic disciplines, such as evolutionary psychology,
overemphasize the extent to which we are determined by our genes. But in as much
as we have acquired self-cognition, we set ourselves free from genetic
determination.
Self-cognition allows us the following basic knowledge:
Our individual lives terminally cease with our individual deaths.
Before we die, our interest is to get through our lives as pleasantly
and with as little suffering as possible; once we die, our interest is
in a gentle death.
The interests of our genes are fundamentally different from our own
interests. Our genes just want to propagate as successfully as possible,
even if it means hardship and terrible suffering for us.
What we regard as pleasurable is decided by our constitution, which is
determined by our genes. However, by granting us pleasures (sexual
pleasures, that is), our genes tend to trick us into accepting
non-pleasurable responsibilities and ultimately, even suffering.
But self-cognition allows us to dissociate the two: to accept the
pleasures (which basically are sexual) and to organize our lives in a manner
so that the responsibilities do not become disruptive, and that we get
around the suffering altogether.
The above fundamentals are the same for men and women. However, the
genetic mixtures of rewards and tricks to accept responsibilities and
suffering are slightly different for men and women.
Women quite possibly feel more sympathy with children in need of help
than do men, and quite possibly would be more willing to accept own
suffering for the benefit of children. It's not that they would enjoy
suffering; it’s just that they are less capable of enjoying pleasure when
they feel that they should help children.
The mechanism works on men, including me, too, though possibly not on
as broad a front. But when my children were in danger, I would risk my
life to save them.
So far, the contemplations written down here are philosophical. They
deal with each of us individually.
But when we get to the practical task to manage, for each of us, men
and women, as much sexual pleasure as possible, while avoiding the
trickery of our genes (which want us to accept suffering for the benefit of
procreation), we enter the realm of sociology and political activism.
Just as self-cognition allows us to design our lives in a manner in
that we experience a maximum of sexual pleasure without getting struck
down by unpleasant responsibilities and suffering, self-cognition also is
the basis of our capability to engineer societies in which an optimal
number of people, men and women, not just are put into the position to
pursue an indifferent happiness, but an optimum of sexual satisfaction.
