Is Human Monogamy Unnatural?
Here's a thoughtful article which makes the case that sexual monogamy in humans is a recent development in our evolution.
Psychologist Christopher Ryan makes the case that sexual monogamy in humans was a social revolution that took place about 10,000 years ago.
According to Ryan, humans were sexually promiscuous for 95% of our history, until the shift 10,000 years ago from the hunter gatherer lifestyle, to settled agricultural communities.
He states...
| Quote: A nonpossessive, gregarious sexuality was the human norm until the rise of agriculture and private property just 10,000 years ago, about 5 percent of anatomically modern humans' existence on Earth. |
As evidence of the unnaturalness of monogamy, Ryan points to our two closest primate cousins, chimpanzees and bonobos, both of whom live in communities of a "free love" nature.
This is a thoughtful, if controversial, article which seems to do a good job of exploring the sexual conflicts so common in our modern life.
For additional detail, please see the full article.
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