Robaggio

I had a conversation with my father about this. He's a biologist who's mind is a bottomless pit of scientific information. Anyway, one night I was bored and interested in a few science things, so I we started talking.

Here are some facts about monogamy:

1) Less risk of contracting STDs
2) Altrustic tendancies of mammals are better suited to smaller families. (It's easier to defend/support a smaller group of immediate family members.)
3) Since females must carry their young, they become more vulerable. (Somone who's 8 months pregnant is an easier target to predators) It therefore becomes advantageous for men to have to defend less (#) pregnant women since they can focus their energies on one or few individuals.

These three properties about monogamy are global to any creature that exhibits altruism. There are more, however, only these three can directly be related to humans. When culture and technology are added into the mix, only the first fact remains valid- perhaps even STDs will become a figment of the past if we discover cures. Because of society and the lack of competition for survial, humans don't have any biological implications against practicing polygnamy. It therefore becomes a choice between individuals. It's a culture battle in the end- with no answer except the one inside your head.

"What about the argument that a significant portion of the women will get sucked up by rich, decent looking (or better) guys like Donald Trump, Brad Pitt, and less successful guys will be left with no wives and only prostitutes?"

What argument is here? It's a well known fact that in nature, the most successful and/or good looking animal will get the mate. Why do you think peacocks try so hard to show off their feathers? Why do frogs croak or crickets chirp? Some individuals will get multiple partners because he/she is better at attracting the opposite sex than others. In frog culture, the best croaker gets the women. In human culture, sometimes the best looking gets the mate- sometimes it's the one with the most money- or sometimes it's the one who listens the best, or tells the best jokes, or makes another person feel a certain way, or has the ability to say the right things at the best time that gets the mate.

"That, and it alters the fundamental family unit which has been preserved since the dawn of human civilization."

Polygamy doesn't alter the 'fundamental family unit', the 'fundamental family unit' alters polygamy! Any anthropologist will tell you, the most common form of union even today is polygamy. Since the dawn of civilization polygamy has been the dominant family unit.