Reply #26: We're social creatures though

[Nikia]

I guess that marriage is societal. It is more likely to result in having a lifelong partner. It is also more likely to result in having someone to help raise one's child. I suppose that it originated as a way to help a mother raise her child. That is the evolutionary view. Woman mated with men that would stay around. Men wanted women to only mate with them if they were to stay around and help raise children. They did not want to take care of children that were not theirs. Alright, we are past that now. There are arguements whether or not children benefit greatly by having two parents or if the same goal can be accomplished by having family and friends help raise the child instead.
As far as polyamorous, I think that there could be advantages to that kind of relationship but only if all the partners really were committed to each other. I think that most people are still attuned to the two people only relationship. The relationship could fall apart if one partner preferred one partner and jealousy entered into the relationship. You would also have to worry about, in addition to helping keep one partner happy, to helping keep all partners happy with you and each other. There would be many legal problems with inheritance, cases where one or more partners wanted out of the marriage, insurance benefits, parental rights, and spousal rights. These legal problems could perhaps be resolved but I don't see that happening any time soon. I think that it could work and a successful polyamorous relationship would probably be rather happy minus the discrimination that such families would face.
Yes, I do think that there is something wrong with this being the only way to have a guarenteed lifelong friend.