This article argues that paternalism is not a natural selection or genetic instinct, but a cultural phenomenon that has been acquired in human society through memes. Unlike the paternalism of sea dragons and emperor penguins, human paternalism stems from social values and moral obligations rather than biological necessity. It is an acquired love, shaped by the influence of culture and values, and entrenched in social structures and conventions created by human thought and reason rather than genes.
For humans and most mammals, maternal love has been the most important force in the reproduction of the species. Mammals enter the world protected inside their mothers’ bodies as they develop placental reproduction. Because they grow beyond a certain size in their mothers’ wombs, mammals can’t have many offspring at once, so they developed maternal care for their offspring in order to pass on more genes. This has evolved through natural selection and is undeniably true, and in fact, the gene responsible for maternal love is located on the X sex chromosome, meaning that all females carry the maternal love gene. On the other hand, paternalism in fathers has not been selected for by natural selection. Nevertheless, in human society, paternalism has become an expected virtue, and we have been able to grow up under the warmth of our fathers’ love. In this article, I’ll argue that paternalism has been culturally shaped by memes.
First, let’s take a look at some examples of paternalistic animals. The sea dragon and the emperor penguin are two examples of paternalism. In the case of sea dragons, the male has a nursery sac where the female lays her eggs, and he single-handedly protects and cares for the eggs until they hatch. In emperor penguins, once the mother lays her eggs, the male will go without food for about 65 days, protecting the eggs and enduring the cold. Paternalism in these animals is a result of natural selection, as female sea dragons are exhausted and immobile for a day after laying eggs, and female emperor penguins don’t have the strength to withstand 65 days of cold. In this way, paternalism for species preservation is different from human paternalism, where we form emotional bonds with our children. So what role did paternalism play in human evolution?
If we look at paternalism from a genetic perspective, it’s very detrimental to the genes. For humans, who care for their children until they grow up, paternalism can be lethal to their genes. Paternalism may increase the chances of survival of the offspring, but it also gives up the opportunity to spread the genes. From a gene’s point of view, spreading is a priority, so paternalism is considered a big loss. Furthermore, in many countries, mothers are now able to care for their children alone, making paternalism even more detrimental from a genetic perspective. For these reasons, the fact that paternalism increases over time, which goes against genetic theory, suggests that paternalism did not evolve by natural selection.
Given that human paternalism is unhelpful from a genetic perspective, the question arises: where did it come from? I believe the answer lies in the fact that humans are not mere robots driven by genes, but higher life forms with thoughts and reason. Unlike Richard Dawkins’s “genetic machines,” humans have the capacity to shape their lives in an acquired way.
Humans are the only animal species capable of creating memes through reason and thought. For example, Psy’s “Gangnam Style” is a meme created by the singer and his dancers, and the songs of Super Junior and TWICE are also memes, forming a new culture called Hallyu. This new culture is expressed through Korean music and dance in theaters, clubs, and cafes around the world. Culture is formed through the interaction of memes, and humans are nongenetically influenced by these cultures. This can be seen as an acquired change, and fatherhood is one of them. When humans are exposed to social norms, values, and civilizations, they experience acquired changes such as paternalism. Currently, a culture has been formed that emphasizes the morality of marriage and the obligation of raising children, and fathers have developed paternalism.
In 2014, there was a case that shocked Korea. A father with a gaming addiction killed his son because the baby kept crying. As seen in this case, this father lacked paternalism: he was addicted to gaming, disconnected from society, and unable to be influenced by memes, so acquired paternalism was not in place. In South Korea, 77% of domestic violence is committed by fathers and 16% by mothers. This 4.8-fold difference shows that while maternal love is an irresistible love that evolved by natural selection, paternal love is selective. In particular, fathers who lack paternal love often have social problems or mental illness. This suggests that disconnection from culture can lead to a lack of paternalism, and that paternalism is an acquired change in cultured humans.
Humans make choices that have nothing to do with survival instincts. This is influenced by memes, and especially by economic conditions. A prime example of this is the process of deciding how many children to have. In South Korea, the average cost of raising a child to independence is 200 million won, so humans rationally choose the number of children based on their economic circumstances. In this way, humans are not bound by their genes, but are able to create a new life based on the memes and judgments they encounter. From the perspective of genes, human thought and reason are a kind of virus. Of course, this virus can’t overturn the giant mold created by genes, but these judgments add value to life. Unlike other animals, we are blessed to be able to have a harmonious family, and paternal love is a true love that comes from the father’s rational judgment and thinking, not from genes.
