Because we somehow show we can be different from all mammals... and we are able to connect with people spiritually to such a degree as to set our desires and inclinations under the control of our brains (which often are socially/ethically oriented). — Eros1982
This is why the topic intrigues me. The fact that males and females are dimorphic reminds us of our basic earthly makeup. Our ideas about monogamy are opposed to this, attempting to leave the earth behind in some ways. — Tate
Likewise the fact that the eyes of white men of a certain age tend to be spaced apart just so that they provide improved long distance depth perception, — Tate
We like to feel we have strong connections to others — schopenhauer1
birds do not count — Eros1982
we are able to connect with people spiritually to such a degree as to set our desires and inclinations under the control of our brains — Eros1982
The more you search world literature the more you find animal names used with offensive meaning for human behavior. — Eros1982
I don't know how they feel about sex... — Eros1982
I agree with you, but T Clark was complaining why I said that birds do not count. I said birds do not count because in my previous post I mentioned mammals, not all possible animals. — Eros1982
we turn monogamy into ideal because we want to show that we can differ from other mammals, are two different things. — Eros1982
That undermines your argument that human monogamy is somehow exceptional. We're animals too. — T Clark
Many non-human animals; whether they're mammals, birds, or something else, are monogamous. That undermines your argument that human monogamy is somehow exceptional. We're animals too. — T Clark
I also believe that at the core of Abrahamic religions and those moral codes I've heard about (Kantian ethics included) the idea of making humans different from animals was very important. This might be one explanation why Abraham saved Isaac, but not the ram. — Eros1982
I provided it to those who are capable of searching Google Scholar. Those who can't are just screwed. — Tate
Monogamous animals are usually sexually monomorphic. We're dimorphic, so our monogamy is unusual. This is explained in the OP. — Tate
Do you think human males are ‘innately’ more competitive than females? — Joshs
The weight of millions of years of evolution is behind competitiveness in both sexes. — Tate
Perhaps we could say that, given the profound changeability of human cultural behavior over the course of mere centuries , we have thrown off the weight of those millions of years of unchanging behavior. — Joshs
I don't think patriarchy answers the question, though. Patriarchy doesn't entail monogamy — Tate
This balance of power has changed in parts of the world, but that tradition is still alive and well -- and I'd say that even if we choose to re-interpret monogamy in some other way, that this is where the ideal "comes from", so to speak — Moliere
Historically patriarchs had multiple wives — Tate
by scientific you just mean descriptive of human behavi — Moliere
then human beings are simply not monogamous. There's nothing to explain because this is a false statement. — Moliere
By "scientific", I meant according to the way biologists use the word. — Tate
Nevertheless, it's held up as an ideal on a large portion of the earth. The question was: why? — Tate
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