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From: bevans@gauss.unm.edu (Mathemagician)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,alt.romance,soc.men,soc.women,soc.singles
Subject: Re: Are Humans Naturally Monogamous?
Message-ID: <1990Nov21.231910.5951@ariel.unm.edu>
Date: 21 Nov 90 23:19:10 GMT
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In article <1990Nov18.214939.268@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov> rqdms@lims02.lerc.nasa.gov writes:
>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.

Specious point.  Culture has a lot to do with how a person feels
about sexual attitudes.  For example, religions often have a
component of what/when/how/where/why/with whom to have sex.  Many
people follow these tenets without question.  Why?  Because they
are what "humans are naturally supposed to do.  Anything else is
an aberration."  For example, homosexuality.  This culture has,
as its biggest excuse for outlawing homosexuality, is that it is
"a crime against nature" as if it were actually true.  That polygamous
cultures do not have to outlaw monogamy is more indicative of their
attitude towards sexuality, not because polygamy is any "natural"
state of the human.

>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.

You said it yourself, "probably."  You don't know, do you.  Who's
to say that the 20-25% of those who don't have affairs are actually
HAPPY with their current situation and don't see the need of looking
elsewhere?  And before you claim that the 75-80% of men who do
have affairs are "naturally" polygamous, you had better find out
why.  Are they unsatisfied with their present sexual partner?  For
some, I'd say yes.  For some, I'd say no.

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

I implied no such thing as I also used the word "some" when referring
to those who are polygamous.

The fact that a human does it means that it is "natural" for a human
to do it.  Humans are a part of nature, after all.

--
Brian Evans             |"Momma told me to never kiss a girl on the first
bevans at gauss.unm.edu | date...But that's OK...I don't kiss girls."