Tylor vs. Westermarck: Explaining the Incest Taboo

Abstract

In the late 19th century arguments explaining incest avoidance were framed separately by Edward Tylor and Edward Westermarck. Tylor offered an environmental theory asserting that people have to marry outside of their own kin and communities or die out from the detrimental effects of isolation. Westermarck turned to Darwin's theory to explain that harmful inbreeding had been selected against in the human genome. By the late 20th and early 21st centuries explanations of human behaviors have become increasingly encompassed by natural selection theory. The debate concerning the productiveness of evolutionary biology for explaining complex human behaviors is highly contentious and continues unabated. Although human evolutionists repeatedly say that environment is important for understanding human behavior they often do not develop this part of the equation. Behind the prestige of evolutionary biology selection models of human behavior have passed into popular science and the public psyche. Often heard today from a wide range of highly visible media sources is an assortment of topics on human behaviors which are framed by Darwinian assumptions. Contemplations about incest and inbreeding avoidance fall into this category and are presented by Darwinian social science as the best case example demonstrating evolutionary suppositions about human behavior. In the article that follows these issues are framed and examined. The argument is offered that evolutionary approaches are not always the most compelling and that convincing environmental explanations are overlooked.

Le Constructivisme Humien Et Les Raisons Des Autres

“…Le fait que les mariages Shim-Pua pratiqués à Taïwan (où une fille adoptée durant l'enfance se marie plus tard avec son « frère ») aboutissent à un taux élevé de divorces et le fait que les enfants qui ont été élevés ensemble dans les kibboutz israéliens refusent de se marier même s'ils ne sont pas apparentés comptent parmi les résultats les plus probants en faveur de l'hypothèse selon laquelle l'évitement de l'inceste chez les humains est une adaptation. Cela dit, même ce cas lourdement documenté fait encore l'objet de controverse parmi les spécialistes et certains estiment que des explications non sélectionnistes doivent être préférées (Leavitt, 2013). C'est dire à quel point la tâche risque d'être ardue pour les constructivistes s'ils adoptent une perspective adaptationniste.…”

Incestuous Behavior In Virginia Cleo Andrews’ Flowers In The Attic And Tabitha Suzuma’s Forbidden

“…According to Hudson (1992:1) [4] that "siblings have the ability to recollect experiences common to both and retrace each former pain and pleasure together." While Leavitt (2013:48) [8] stated that "the age differences between generations, spacing of siblings, and the difference in gender among siblings would moderate the number of incest cases." Then law of homogamy is mentioned by "Westermarck's in his argument (Shepher, 1983:46) [11] to argue people tend to marry or mate among people who resemble them culturally, ethnically, religiously, and in class or caste membership."…”

“…Thus, between age peers is also included to be the causing factors of sibling incest. As Stated by Leavitt (2013) [8] that "while the age differences between generations, spacing of siblings, and the difference in gender among siblings would moderate the number of incest cases" (p.48).…”