3 ms·

> An awful lot of the rationalists I know have moved to open relationships. Why?

• michaelkeenan 16y ago
  I don't know if anyone can give a definitive answer, but various hypotheses and experiences were brought up in a discussion of monogamy and polyamory at Less Wrong here: http://lesswrong.com/lw/2ee/unknown_knowns_why_did_you_choose_to_be_monogamous/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/2ee/unknown_knowns_why_did_you_choos...
• rms 16y ago
  As long as you can learn how to suppress or ignore or never have jealousy, multiple relationships seem strictly better (= more fun) to me than monogamy.
  • tfinster 16y ago
    In addition to suppressing and ignoring jealousy, another option is to learn how to acknowledge and deal with it. Just as fear is quite a natural thing and hinders people in accomplishing their goals, so can jealousy be a hindrance to happy relationships. Both can be successfully managed however. Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear. - Mark Twain I believe the same can be said of jealousy. Also note that unchecked jealousy is not strictly a problem of polyamory; it wreaks havoc even in monogamous relationships.
    • rms 16y ago
      Yes, I should have also said "accept jealousy" as a possibly superior option.
  • Johngibb 16y ago
    Did anyone else accidentally parse (= more fun) as a strange prefix notation way of saying "more relationships = fun?" If not, I apologize in advance for my insanity. ;)
    • eof 16y ago
      Yes, and I have never even worked regularly with a language that parses like that..
• MBlume 16y ago
  In my case, this is why: http://lesswrong.com/lw/xl/eutopia_is_scary/3f8u http://lesswrong.com/lw/xl/eutopia_is_scary/3f8u