Don’t have a whole lot to add to the debate personally, other than to lend my general support to the proposition that there are likely to be evolutionary explanations for most, if not all, features of human reproductive behavior. I base my opinion on a reasonably broad course of reading in the literature of evolutionary biology and evolutionary psychology (or at least the subset of the literature that’s accessible to a motivated and literate layman).
That being said, I would also touch on the following points:
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[li]While evolutionary psychologists have been able to posit coherent theories about most aspects of human reproductive behavior, in few if any cases can it be proved that these behaviors are definitively the result of genetic modification via the mechanisms of natural or sexual selection.[/li][li]There is a high correlation between testicle size and prevailing reproductive strategy among the mammals that have been studied. Mammals that do not form pair bonds and that mate indiscriminately have the largest testicles (relative to body size), while those that form permanent monogamous relationships have the smallest. On this basis, one would predict, based on testicle size, that humans would be somewhat monogamous, though not exclusively so – i.e., pretty much the state of affairs that we see in almost every society. “Opportunistically adulterous” is one way to characterize it.[/li][li]There’s a fair amount of data to support the notion that polygamy (in the narrow sense of having multiple wives) is much more common in societies that are socially and economically stratified; i.e., some means for the long-term preservation and accumulation of wealth and status is essential before men can secure exclusive reproductive access to multiple women.[/li][li]A description of the prevailing sexual strategies used by humans, even when coupled (you should pardon the pun) with an evolutionary explanation, is just that, a description, not a prescription. On the subject of whether an individual ought to behave in a particular way, evolutionary psychology is and must be silent.[/li][li]Finally, at a certain level, if you accept evolution via natural and sexual selection as the primary mechanism by which humans have come to be where we are, then any aspect of human culture is, by definition, a product of evolution. Mozzarella cheese, A Chorus Line, yo-yos, sleepwalking, and personal computers are all products of evolution, as is the typically monogamous, opportunistically adulterous reproductive strategy pursued by most of us.[/li][/ul]
For more detailed elucidations of the current thinking on these topics, I’d recommend the following:
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[li]The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating, David M. Buss. The best overview of the subject I’ve read. While the conclusions Buss draws are sometimes underwhelming, and the methodology sometimes open to question, his study at least has the virtue of attempting to base itself on a fairly large sample covering a significant number and variety of cultures.[/li][li]The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature, Matt Ridley. Ridley’s a writer rather a researcher, which makes this book more readable than Buss’s. Ridley’s conclusions are based a review of the research available at the time it was written, which did not include the work detailed in The Evolution of Desire.[/li][li]The Third Chimpanzee, Jared Diamond. My favorite overview of the specifics of human evolution. Diamond deals extensively with human reproductive behavior and its likely evolutionary causes. He deals even more exhaustively with the subject in the next item in my list.[/li][li]Why is Sex Fun?: The Evolution of Human Sexuality, Jared Diamond.[/li][/ul]
. Maybe someone can help?