Reply #111: Actually, on that specific point I sort of agree with him...

[Donald Ian Rankin]

The purpose for which women have been optimised is ensuring the survival of their genes by producing as many reproducing descendants as possible. So in that sense, yes, women *were* basically created to make babies.

Exactly the same thing is true of men, of course - more so, in fact: my understanding is that if you're sole goal is to ensure the survival of your genes then if you're a man your best strategy is to expend all your energy on making as many babies as possible; but if you're a woman you don't have that option so your best strategy is to spend some energy on helping the ones you do have reach reproducing age themselves. So men were basically created to make babies; women were basically created to make *and raise* babies (I think, although in some environments it may make more sense to help raising your offspring even if you're male).

However, all this tells us is what our bodies (and our instincts) are optimised to do. It doesn't have anything to do with how we *should* act.