"Leslie Swartz" wrote:

So the "benefit" [sic] of polygamous sexual behavior is quitre reduced
(particulalry in the human species) fronm the advantages we see among lower
life forms.

Well Steve, you're arguing about the short term
advantages/disadvantages of 'switching' to poly from mono after
centuries of basically mono. Of course the true advantages won't
be felt immediately, but if humans had been taught for all of
that time that mono was 'bad' and poly was good then the full
advantages of the 'variety' to our gene pool would have been
felt.

This entirely ignores the costs of polygamous sexual behavior, and
polygamous breeding outcomes, that are evident as well.


What costs?


While I agree that many of my colleagues in the scientific community would
*wish* for certain conclusions to be true (global warming, benefits of
polygamy, equity of socialism, etc.), selective anlysis of certain data
(ignoring other evidence) does not make it so.


Ok...I don't know much about any of them really but ISTM that in
one sense at least there's no doubt of the benefit of polygamy
over monogamy.

Mind you, the total overall gain may favour monogamy but who
could argue that 'value to the gene pool' certainly lies with
variety?





Regrettably, even the best mids are willing to be clouded by superstition
and faith.

Steve Swartz



--

-Gord.