Does fidelity cause violence?

[darknova]

Hi,

I was just reading the 'Discourse on Inequality' by Rousseau where he brings up the idea that fidelity and chastity cause evils such as violence. Often men will fight over a women, even kill because of adultery. Would the overall harm to people be reduced if fidelity wasn't required and would this be a good thing?

Of course there would still be the need and want in society for some men and women to stay together.

 

[DailyBlessings]

Hi,

I was just reading the 'Discourse on Inequality' by Rousseau where he brings up the idea that fidelity and chastity cause evils such as violence. Often men will fight over a women, even kill because of adultery. Would the overall harm to people be reduced if fidelity wasn't required and would this be a good thing?

Of course there would still be the need and want in society for some men and women to stay together.

They don't fight and kill each other because of chastity, they do so because of jealousy and the desire to possess women as objects, rather than willing partners. Since the elimination of chastity as a value would not eliminate jealousy, greed, or sexism, I do not believe that it would result in the cessation of sexual violence. After all, those who actually value chastity and fidelity aren't likely to be killing people over affairs. By definition they wouldn't be having any to begin with. Yes, theory and practice, I know.

 

[DaisyDay]

And it isn't just men that turn to violence from jealousy (or anger or control issues).

 

[Tergle]

Hi,

I was just reading the 'Discourse on Inequality' by Rousseau where he brings up the idea that fidelity and chastity cause evils such as violence.

Right him off as wrong.

Often men will fight over a women, even kill because of adultery. Would the overall harm to people be reduced if fidelity wasn't required and would this be a good thing?

Ask the tens of millions with STD's and no father in the house. BTW, I mean their own biological father.

Of course there would still be the need and want in society for some men and women to stay together.

The islands of peace.

 

[Jro]

Ask the tens of millions with STD's and no father in the house. BTW, I mean their own biological father.

Why is a biological father intrinsically superior to another sort of father? Is an adopted father equivalent to no father?

 

[briareos]

darknova

I was just reading the 'Discourse on Inequality' by Rousseau where he brings up the idea that fidelity and chastity cause evils such as violence. Often men will fight over a women, even kill because of adultery. Would the overall harm to people be reduced if fidelity wasn't required and would this be a good thing?

Well I am going to assume that he said a bit more on the subject than you did. Fidelity simply means loyality or adherance to duty and promises. The lack of such things... does not seem to create goodness or lack of violence I would think the opposite. I also see no creation of goodness in the lack of simple chastity. Though I could certainly be wrong.

Of course there would still be the need and want in society for some men and women to stay together.

If the book speaks specificly of relationships and uses the terms you noted confined to such a context... I don't know but I certainly don't think so. I would think as others have said that it is a seperate characteristic that causes following destruction.

I think decent parallel to the notion would be, should a country have laws? Becuase since laws create death by execution of those who break certain laws. I think it is a blatant Non Sequitur.

There are atleast two or three steps in the chain that are missing. It doesn't follow that laws should be removed in order for the death penalty to be stopped or that Laws create the death of people. Do you see what I am saying? The same, I think could be said of the error in the notion you raise. That fidelity in marriage creates violence. There are several missing parts of the chain. It's Non sequitur.

 

[AlexBP]

Societies which do not have monogamous marriage as the basis of their social structure actually produce much more domestic violence than those which do. This is clear anywhere you look, whether it be ancient Greece and Rome, the Mormons in the nineteenth century, or the Arab world today. In all of them violence against women was at a very high level.