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The Sex Wars Costs
The Unnacessary Costs of Lady Macbeth's Strategy
The novella “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” by Nikolai Leskov tells the story of Katerina Lvovna, trapped in a loveless marriage and constrained by her husband’s family to ensure she bears his heir.
Driven by the instinct to replicate with “alpha” DNA (the best available within her household), Katerina falls for Sergey, a laborer she perceives as offering superior traits. Seeking both his DNA and her husband’s wealth, she conspires with Sergey to murder her father-in-law and husband, transferring control of the estate from the investor. Sergey becomes devoted to Katerina, as she grants him access to resources otherwise unattainable. Their strategies seem optimal for both of them and beneficial for overall species-level sexual selection.
However, their ancient instinct-driven strategies fail to account for recently evolved principles of justice and the rights of the original asset holder. These human rights are critical for the effective operation of markets, which evolved under the pressures of interstate competition. This oversight leads to the detection of their crimes and their subsequent punishment.
On the convict march to Siberia, Sergey realizes the loss of wealth access provided by Katerina and determines that the alternative costs of staying with her exceed the benefits. He reverts to pursuing a genetic alpha replication strategy with as many women as possible. In despair and jealousy, Katerina drags her rival into an icy river, killing them both.
The story reveals the unnecessary and avoidable damage to Russian economic capitalization, encompassing the destruction of a merchant’s business and the loss of human lives.
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