Monogamy

The science of marriage

“Those whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.” With this stern admonition, the Church has long been a fervent defender of marriage. But as religion has faded as a social force, so too has marriage.  Does it much matter if people choose to shack up together instead of tying the knot? What is lost if some men want to be incels or some women decide a husband is a bothersome surplus to their needs? The problem is that all lifestyles alternative to marriage serve to undermine it. And like other major social institutions, marriage is not some arbitrary cultural construct like a federal holiday. Rather, it rests on genetically shaped behaviors that evolution has written into the human genome because of their survival value.

Marriage

Gavin Mortimer, Colin Freeman, Lawrence Osborne, Lionel Shriver and Anthony Cummins

34 min listen

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Gavin Mortimer looks at how the French right can still win (1:48); Colin Freeman interviews Americans who have fought in Ukraine and feel betrayed by Trump (11:01); Lawrence Osborne details his experience of last week’s earthquake, as he reads his diary from Bangkok (18:38); Lionel Shriver defends traditional, monogamous marriage (24:07); and, Anthony Cummins examines media satire and settled scores as he reviews Natasha Brown’s Universality (31:13).  Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

Rob Henderson on Musk, monogamy & meritocracy

36 min listen

Political commentator, and author of Troubled, Rob Henderson joins Freddy Gray from the ARC conference in London. They discuss the political reaction to the news that Elon Musk has allegedly had his 13th child – are there signs of a new, more permissive conservatism? They also discuss Trump’s administration so far – particularly his flurry of executive orders – with critics decrying them as the tactics of a populist, yet supporters approving of the speed of activity. What’s the psychology underpins these political viewpoints? Vice-President J.D. Vance’s speech in Munich over the weekend has also left many European leaders reeling – but should they really have been surprised? Produced by Natasha Feroze and Patrick Gibbons.

The right’s dangerous embrace of Andrew Tate

From our US edition

Why are conservative media personalities like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens embracing Andrew Tate, an online celebrity known for misogynistic commentary, alleged abuse of women and foreign charges of human trafficking?  Because Tate sometimes has agreeable things to say about the importance of masculinity in culture, they ignore the clearly inexcusable parts of his lifestyle. Both Carlson and Owens’s interviews were generally peppered with mild questions and meant to give Tate a positive platform.  With 7.4 million Twitter followers and billions of TikTok video views, Tate already has his own exponentially influential platform — one that targets legions of young men with a destructive message of narcissism, sexual prowess and obsession with physical appearance.

andrew tate