Xref: utzoo sci.bio:3699 alt.romance:5184 soc.men:23538 soc.women:29616 soc.singles:71887
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!clyde.concordia.ca!ccu.umanitoba.ca!frist
From: frist@ccu.umanitoba.ca
Newsgroups: sci.pschology,sci.bio,alt.romance,soc.men,soc.women,soc.singles
Subject: Re: Are Humans Naturally Monogamous?
Message-ID: <1990Oct25.144016.21025@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
Date: 25 Oct 90 14:40:16 GMT
References: <1990Oct24.175532.9407@pmafire.UUCP>
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Lines: 35

In article <1990Oct24.175532.9407@pmafire.UUCP> reiser@pmafire.UUCP (Steve Reiser) writes:
>Without cultural training would human being by there biological nature
>be monogamous or is it culturally ingrained from childhood?
>
>With the diversity of relationship styles in modern America, I have
>begun to wonder what man's true nature really is. I have nothing against
>monogamy, however many people choose serial marriages, many one lifetime
>mate, many choose to remain single, some choose homosexual
>relationships, some polygamous, etc.
> { deleted stuff about dogma, extreme opinions }
>When you look at nature in the wild, it does vary - many bird species
>are mongamous, the deer family is such that the strongest males have
>harems, chimpanzees are intereestingly as variant as humans at times
>with the same kinds of relationship problems of jealousy.
>
>Steve Reiser (reiser@pmafire.UUCP or ...!uunet!pmafire!reiser)

I think it's important not to try to assign any behavioral characteristic
(or even physical characteristic) as the 'true nature' of that species.
Your citation of different mating patterns in other animals is a good
indication of the fact that population characteristics do change over time.
This is called evolution. Without variation within (and between)
populations, evolution can not occur. So perhaps society shouldn't worry about
trying to figure out man's 'true nature', and let people experiment.
Evolution will occur, as it always has.

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