The Thornhill and Palmer Affair: When Evolutionary Biology Challenged Rape Orthodoxy

In the late 1990s, biologist Randy Thornhill and anthropologist Craig Palmer found themselves at the centre of an intense academic controversy. Their research, which applied evolutionary biology to human behaviour, provoked widespread criticism and institutional backlash across universities, media, and publishing. This video examines what became known as “the Thornhill and Palmer affair,” tracing how a scientific dispute escalated into a moral and professional crisis. It explores the pressures placed on researchers whose work challenges prevailing assumptions, the consequences for open inquiry, and the broader implications for academic freedom. Read and presented by Zoe Booth. Based on an essay by Peggy Sastre, translated into English for Quillette: https://quillette.com/2025/11/27/the-unwelcome-truth-about-rape-thornhill-palmer/ 00:00 — Thornhill and Palmer argue rape is a sexual act 00:28 — Academic backlash and “humanitarian threat” responses 00:42 — Why denying sexual motivation can harm victims 01:11 — Palmer leaves academia amid postmodernism 01:37 — A murder case and the problem of motive 02:04 — When ideology enters the courtroom 02:59 — Evolutionary biology and sexual coercion 03:42 — Applying evolutionary reasoning to humans 04:06 — A Natural History of Rape and its hypotheses 05:01 — Media distortion and public outrage 05:56 — Calls for boycotts and academic punishment 06:09 — Personal consequences of the backlash 06:37 — The blank slate and rejection of biology 07:05 — Support from rape survivors 08:12 — A contemporary parallel in France 08:41 — Academia as inquisitorial culture ---------- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91