Evolution of Monogamy in Humans
It is important to have a clear understanding of the nomenclature of monogamy because scientists use the term monogamy for different male-female relationships. Biologists, biological anthropologists, and behavioral ecologists often use the term monogamy in the sense of sexual, if not genetic, monogamy as defined above in Notion and aspects of monogamy. To clarify the difference, sexual monogamy simply means an individual has only one mating partner throughout their lifetime while genetic monogamy is only used to describe sexually monogamous relationships with genetic evidence of paternity. Since maternity is always certain, genetic evidence is unnecessary. When cultural or social anthropologists and other social scientists use the term monogamy, the meaning is social monogamy, as defined above. In human societies, social monogamy is often defined as monogamous marriage.
Famous quotes containing the words evolution of, evolution and/or humans:
“The evolution of a highly destined society must be moral; it must run in the grooves of the celestial wheels.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“By contrast with history, evolution is an unconscious process. Another, and perhaps a better way of putting it would be to say that evolution is a natural process, history a human one.... Insofar as we treat man as a part of nature—for instance in a biological survey of evolution—we are precisely not treating him as a historical being. As a historically developing being, he is set over against nature, both as a knower and as a doer.”
—Owen Barfield (b. 1898)
“It is quite a common and vulgar thing among humans to understand, foresee, know and predict the troubles of others. But oh what a rare thing it is to predict, know, foresee and understand one’s own troubles.”
—François Rabelais (1494–1553)