The thesis: Eliot Spitzer’s cheating shouldn’t surprise you, silly, biologists know that animals cheat all the time!
First, I’d like to point out the article is a hodge-podge of current events, evolutionary biology (the research I don’t necessarily disagree with, the interpretation of which I do), economic theory and psychology…but it does manage to be in the Science section of the NY times.
Second, you might be wondering if Angier is serious about expecting the reader not to be interested in the moral and practical problems that arise from infidelity (and which arguably may arise in the monkeys mentioned here, as she points out). It’s a lot to ask of an intelligent reader to ignore so much, and I would point out that none of us would even have to rely on religious arguments to counter such claims.
Like Angier, I don’t think it’s the job of a scientist to be interested in Spitzer’s infidelity (with a prostitute, no less) but here she glibly ignores a host of problems he’s brought us, not least of which is damaging the public trust.
Maybe this picture is appropriate
by detourblog
