In order to prove this dubious argument they marshal the most extraordinary evidence. The mating habits of scorpion flies have a part to play, as do the sex lives of ducks. In all of this, the writers never allow for the fact that they may be anthropomorphising animal behavior. One wonders if they have seen too many reruns of Dr. Doolittle, or if they have secret ways of actually knowing how insects give sexual consent. However, it is when Thornhill and Palmer move away from the world of animals that their work becomes truly mind-boggling.
Breeding takes precedence.
The way Thornhill and Palmer use the Philadelphia study should alert us to just how shoddy their research is overall. For material that bolsters their argument is included uncritically, be it the statements of the carers of sexually assaulted children, or observers of the sex lives of orang-utans. However, the writers of A Natural History of Rape are capable of critical reflection, and this seems to be reserved for the feminist body of work on the subject. However, while their work does not meet the high standards of scholarship shown by Brownmiller, they seem to suffer from one curious similarity. Neither believes that individuals are fully responsible for what they do.