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From: rqdms@lims02.lerc.nasa.gov (DENNIS STOCKERT)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,alt.romance,soc.men,soc.women,soc.singles
Subject: Re: Are Humans Naturally Monogamous?
Message-ID: <1990Nov18.214939.268@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov>
Date: 18 Nov 90 21:49:39 GMT
References: <58975@microsoft.UUCP> <1990Nov14.005513.28667@massey.ac.nz> <1990Nov15.141028.25126@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov> <1990Nov16.203058.7780@ariel.unm.edu>
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In article <1990Nov16.203058.7780@ariel.unm.edu>, bevans@gauss.unm.edu (Mathemagician) writes...

Quoting my prior followup to this thread:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  Volumes of articles re: above  
>>>I for one do not quite understand all the hubbub... for me , centuries of 
>>>spontaneous non-monagamous behavior is enough to convince me that we are 
>>>** NOT  **  naturally monogamous, and that monogamy where it exists is 
>>>largely a culturally-imposed phenomenon.  Apologies if this seems too 
>>>simplistic to Netters at large... :-)
> 

>Well, I disagree.
> 
>For me, centuries of spontaneous monogamous behaviour is enough to
>convince me that SOME of us ARE naturally monogamous and that
>promiscuity, where it exists in SOME, is largely a culturally
>imposed phenomenon.
> 
>Apologies if this seems to simplistic to Netters at large.
> 
>--

An extremely clever way to make an invalid point, Brian ...

Point one:  Both polygamy and adultery have, at times, been outlawed in 
monogamous cultures... if illegality isn't cultural imposition, I don't
know what is.....  animal species that mate for life do so spontaneously 
without legislation.   Polygamous cultures, on the other hand, have not 
felt a comparable need to outlaw monogamy.

Point two:  The percentage of married (American) men that have had affairs
has been shown, I believe, to be something like 75-80% ... somewhat lower
for women. Of the remaining 20-25%, some number probably refrain from 
affairs due to guilt, fear of others' opinions of them, divorce, financial 
upheaval, etc.   These are extremely high numbers to discount if one 
attempts to argue that we are naturally monomagous creatures.

Finally, your own choice of phrases -- "SOME of us are naturally 
monomagous" -- implies a minority.  Nice chatting with you...


***********************************************************************
* Dennis Stockert              *  The meek shall inherit the earth;   *
* rqdms@lims01.lerc.nasa.gov   *  the rest of us will go to the stars *
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*  No one that knows me would mistake my opinions for those of        *
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