Marriage and Monogamy
Feb 14, 2006Monogamy is traditional in most cultures, and it is the law throughout America since Utah gave up polygamy to acquire statehood.
Is Human Monogamy Genetic?
Jack Herrera
03 May 2017
A few months ago, I wrote a story about a philosopher defending (and engaging in) "polyamorous relationships"—romantic relationships with multiple partners. The philosopher, Carrie Ichikawa Jenkins, argued that much of the stigma regarding polyamorous relationships stemmed from obsolete and stifling social standards.
Recently, I saw a study out of Harvard that suggests humans are "genetically programmed" towards monogamy to ensure that offspring are cared for. I'm always dubious of drawing conclusions from single studies (this one used mice, not people, as subjects), and I'm especially wary of anyone who uses the phrase "genetically programmed."
Nonetheless, reading the study made me want to ask the question: if humans really are naturally inclined toward monogamy, does that have any bearing on the ethics of cheating in a relationship? Or, to phrase the question another way: does our concept of right and wrong require an understanding of human nature (or at least tendencies)?
Read the original blog post here: https://www.philosophytalk.org/blog/defense-polyamory
And read about the new study here: http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/scientists-suspect-genetic-underpinning...
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Related Shows
Marriage and Monogamy
Feb 14, 2006Monogamy is traditional in most cultures, and it is the law throughout America since Utah gave up polygamy to acquire statehood.
Blog Archive
Why do some people have a strange desire to do weird things for no (good) reason? There's something fascinating about kids who eat laundry soap as part of a “challenge,” or people who deliberately... Read more
Making a better world would be a great thing—but do we need philosophers to help us do that? Famously (or infamously), not all philosophers have been such great people. So are they the folks we... Read more
In her time—the 4th century CE—Hypatia was one of the most famous philosophers in Alexandria, and indeed in the ancient world. She studied and taught mathematics,... Read more
Mexican philosophy is full of fascinating ideas, from Mexica ("Aztec") and Mayan thought to Sor Juana’s feminism and Emilio Uranga’s existentialism... Read more
Your friendly neighborhood Senior Prodcuer here, once again stepping out from behind the mixing board to bring you some bonus content from this week's 17th (!) annual Summer Reading special.... Read more
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Fascism is on the rise, new infectious diseases keep cropping up, and we’re on the verge of environmental collapse: how on earth could art possibly save us? The arts are may be nice distraction,... Read more
Some say the world is full of contradictions, like “parting is such sweet sorrow.” Parting is sweet, but parting is also sad; and sweetness and sadness are opposites. But logicians would say that... Read more
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Comments (1)
agamman
Wednesday, May 3, 2017 -- 2:10 PM
I tend to have the philosophyI tend to have the philosophy of nonmonogamy in the sense that people should be able to make the choice of monogamy or polyamory if works for them and they can build a responsible lifestyle around it. I don't think one or the other necessarily works for everyone. I live a monogamous relationship, but don't think we should require everyone to do so if they choose to get married. If you have children, I also think that has its own implications about taking care of your offspring.