Why Polygamy? I'm Glad You Asked

Polygamy: Is it in our genes? Image courtesy of the US Department of Energy Genomics

You can find it in the Old Testament, and in the Human Relations Area Files, a marvelous record of explorers and their first encounters with previously undiscovered tribes. By these accounts, polygamy is apparently an integral part of the human condition.

By Citizen Correspondent Martin, Karen and Lisa

Date Posted: 05/29/08

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To quote Indiana Jones: “Archeology is the study of fact, not truth.” I might add that on the way to fact, you’ll find a great deal of conjecture. Are we humans polygamous by nature? My wives and I certainly think so, so I set about reading up on the subject.

Where to start? I don’t think polygamy is mentioned in the Dead Sea scrolls, or in the five books of Confucius, the sixth of which is lost forever. But you can find it in the Old Testament, and in the Human Relations Area Files, a marvelous record of explorers and their first encounters with previously undiscovered tribes. By these accounts, polygamy is apparently an integral part of the human condition.

Beyond humans, let’s also consider the birds and the beasts. Umm, what exactly is the behavior of the birds and the beasts? Are they polygamous, and what has that got to do with us? Fortunately, the subject is gloriously detailed in Dr. Helen Fisher’s Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray (1992).

The Perspective of Sociobiology

Dr. Fisher’s book is representative of the nascent science of Sociobiology, aka Evolutionary Psychology. Sociobiology teaches that we are not born tabula rasa (blank slate), but rather enter the world with certain hardwiring, propensities, and instincts. It attempts to explain why we are the way we are. “Why do men go bald?” “What’s pubic hair for?” “Are we monogamous?” Equal parts science, art, and entertainment, it makes for fascinating reading.

Let’s start with the incredible force of natural selection. Dr. Richard Dawkins makes a compelling case in his book The Selfish Gene (1976) that we have it all backwards. We think that we have a say in how our genes are propagated.