BBC Focus Magazine

[M Paul Lloyd]

[Liam Sheppard]

shadowwolf did a great job of not only humouring but engaging in objective debate supported by actual research, regarding the human monogomy polygomy debate.

I think that if you look at indigenous peoples today who live in similar hunter gatherer tribes you will find that monogomous or polygomous relationships are normal. A man may take 1-2-3 wives, but they are then committed to them. The women see their husbands as hunters of food, do they provide for them and their children. That is their main concern. Interviews with these women will show you that love doesn't come into it. Only respect and self interest (i.e food)

Also Roysyboy, you quoted Wikipedia!? for all you know I could have written that description of morgan-engels theory... Hope you don't quote wikipedia in your academic essays!?

[Roysyboy]

If one looks at hunter gatherers today, as Alice did with the Hazda people, one should check their history, and in this case one will find that they came into contact with Christian missionaries in the past. Is it conceivable that these missionaries peddled their views, etc., in favour of monagamy?

It would be nice for many that politics did not infringe on the pleasant discussions of so-called scientists. But politics does infringe. It is quite justified to use polemic in a discussion which primarily is political, but which masquerades as "pure science", with all its niceties.

In my starting piece, I put forward some correct solutions to Alice's mistakes. But, apparently, nobody feels confident to judge, and instead divert the discussion onto style.

I asked a question -- it;s the title of this thread. But nobody seems to want to answer it here.

[Shadowwolf]

In my starting piece, I put forward some correct solutions to Alice's mistakes. But, apparently, nobody feels confident to judge, and instead divert the discussion onto style.

Because your opening piece was so poorly worded that it came off as a whining complaint about you not being given your dues by the good Dr and not anything of any substance. A position that your continued bleating, insinuations of conspiracy by the BBC and dull insults only confirmed.

I asked a question -- it;s the title of this thread. But nobody seems to want to answer it here.

So why pray tell are you back months later to resurrect this dead thread and make this utterly pointless observation?

[Shadowwolf]

Is it conceivable that these missionaries peddled their views, etc., in favour of monagamy?

Yes that is possible, of course it is also possible that they were that way prior to the missionaries arrival.

[Liam Sheppard]

the answer to your question 'were all hunter-gatherers living in nuclear families?'

is 'NO'.

The end.