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Originally Posted by Deckard
I have no moral problem with polygamy as a construct. If anything I have a bigger problem with the sexism that it can entail, though I'm not convinced that sexism is inherent to polygamy, rather it's a reflection of the cultures within which polygamy has, until now, been seen to flourish.
How about incest, what do you think (morally) about that? Every now and again I read some story about a brother and sister somewhere asking to be left alone to continue their relationship (hey, I live in Wales!), and it's hard not to feel some sympathy for them. I think my only moral problem with it comes from the increased probability of unhealthy offspring. I wouldn't try to pass off my sense of "Urgh, that's icky!!" as a moral justification, which I suspect a lot of people are inclined to do.
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I agree the cultures that continue to practice polygamy definitely trend to issues with sexism. But, many monogamist cultures also continue to be sexist. Since marriage is not just applicable to a man and a woman, shouldn't it also be able to branch out and embrace other non-traditional marriages between humans?
As far as incest, I agree it's "icky"; but the main concern there is unhealthy offspring. Many island cultures practiced incest without detriment to their offspring. In addition, there are many other unhealthy pairings that are allowed to breed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deckard
But I think having some formal framework upon which people can focus (and to which they can strive) is no bad thing.
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I agree, but I suppose I'm a bit jaded due to the volume of divorced couples (10% of the US population). (This figure doesn't even account for those who've hit the reset button and remarried.) I think it's a bit sad that there's about a 1/3 chance a marriage will end in divorce or to a lesser degree death before the 10th year anniversary. It's obvious marriage means less in society today than it did 10 years ago, let alone 20 or 30 years ago.