How did the first people figure out that sex equals ....

Aww, have we just spent 3 pages answering a different question?

Say, the question you want answered is how the first link was made between sex and children.. Not "how the first humans on earth realised.." .. I too had assumed that you were on the religious tour.. But the anthropological question is so much more interesting! Apologies for my first post It's one of those questions that is very hard to formulate in a way that leaves just 1 interpretation, and the other interpretation seems more common..

Don't really have an answer for this question though :p here's a guess: one guy noticed that the uglier womans whom they never snuggled with, did not get pregnant..

reply to post by scraze


i considered that after reading it. it was on my "not too shabby" list, right below "product in, product out" theory.. i also want to add the "he looks just like his father!" possibility as well. but that one could also be construed as osmosis of other kinds. kissing, hugging, being in general vicinity, eating from the same bowl, or eating the same food, and so on.

[edit on 5-5-2009 by undo]

reply to post by undo

Probably were not gay, chemistry would explain the rest. Hey we figured out golf too, so no big leap.

Originally posted by mdiinican
It may have taken quite a long time before the cause and effect relationship was worked out and became common knowledge. Especially when, for much of human history, there was no language as we know it. makes passing on knowledge of abstract concepts rather difficult.

People want to have sex, and sex leads to babies, so as long as people have a sex drive, they're going to be having children. Nature doesn't care if you know or not.

animals do it all the time with now instruction or coaching, hey they don't even have Dr. Ruth!

I know this thread is old, but I was actually quite fascinated by the question and responses. My own perspective would be that I agree one would have to look at ancient history and tales to gain some insight, but also, realize how creative we are as human beings. I would imagine that at first, mankind had no clue why females would start to bleed and then stop, ley alone create a new life.

Naturally, instinctively, from my own and my daughters experiences...when you bleed that first time, you think something is terribly wrong! So early on, it may have seen that one who no longer bled was good, especially when she created a child. Perhaps, that is how some creative ideas in many various myths came about. Due to man's attempt to understand this process. I would imagine that women over time, would begin to piece together, the connection between sex and share their knowledge with the youngest. ( I know that many primitive cultures would have special huts for menstruating females, what better place and time for them to collaborate and share their observations!)

Would love to know if you continued searching for an answer to this and what you or others have gathered?

reply to post by undo


Women knew for a long time - when men finally figured it out they turned women and children into chattel.

...and themselves into "priests."

Just another injustice in a long line of same.