Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 20:50:27 +0100
From: "davidbarrera" <davidbarrera@worldonline.es>
Subject: RE: Marriage!
>I agree with J.R.Molloy.
>Without biology, marriage looks quite ridiculous.
>And with the new discoveries in genetics, evolutionary psychology, our
>"Adapted Mind" (great book) and us being "Moral animals" (good one too),
>even less.
In response to this marriage discussion, here is a summary of
my "Crossmatching" (Quorums) notion ... a post-human
alternative to monogamy-monotony!
Instead of the 'couple' or 'pair-bond' being the core unit of
humanoid society, the drive towards complexity, flexibility
and freedom might lead to the rise of the 'quorum' as the
living unit of choice.
If you think that RELATIONSHIPS are, on the whole, a "good thing"
rather than a "bad thing" then quorums are a good idea since you
TRIPLE the number of intimate relationships for each person but
only DOUBLE the number of people (4 instead of 2)! A degree in
Logic is not needed to work this out.
A quorum could be 'themed' in the sense that members might
be drawn together by a shared interest (Enochian Chess,
bridge, rock band or something). I was once in a company called
Quorum Ltd, with four of us sharing a house, and having
common business interests. It is possible that the quorum might
become "immortal" - in the sense that it outlives all of its founders.
If one member decided to move on, the unit itself would not
break down as with a couple, and the other three could
decide to look for a replacement.
* There is an economy of scale for housing expenses (see
www.co-ownership.com).
* Child-care becomes more distributed and so less of a burden, and extra
skills are available within the relationship.
* Another benefit is that sexual diversity within the quorum prevents
boredom,
and makes it less likely that members will look outside of the relationship.
If you already have two girlfriends and a boyfriend, or two boyfriends and a
girlfriend (or whatever), any more seems to me greedy and excessive!
Just about any sexual permutation is possible from a group of four!
More on this is at http://www.multi.co.uk/Quorums.htm
Level Up
Steve Nichols
Posthuman Organisation
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