Then they're polygamous. What of it? They're different than us in many other ways, so I don't see why this one trait of theirs should necessarily mean anything about us.
I wasn't actually trying to state that humans were one way or the other, I was just pointing out that monogamy in general isn't unnatural.
I see nothing wrong with polygamy if all involved parties agree to it, but it seems like most people who argue specifically against monogamy call it "unnatural" just because they can't control themselves and want an excuse to cheat on their girlfriends.
The bonobos are not that much different than us. In one of the three major clades of them, they are 99.4% the same genetics as us. We had a common ancestor only about 5 million years ago. In fact, bonobos and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are far more closely related to us, than either humans (Homo sapiens sapiens), bonobos and chimpanzees are related to gorrilas (Gorilla gorilla). It is for this reason, that there has been much call to place the Pan genus in the same clade as us (Homo). Probably the only reason this hasn't happened yet (as we would have with any other animal), is because it might upset some people. It is also important to recognise that there is about 0.3% genetic separation between modern living humans. The major genetic difference between humans and bonobos, is a set of genes that codes for amino acids. What about Neanderthals (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis), who went extinct only a few thousands of years ago? Or did they? We now know there were admixtures through interbreeding. Anyway, it's interesting to study bonobo and chimpanzee cultures, especially how they solve conflict (differently). One (chimpanzees) use war, and bonobos use sex. Since we all had a common ancestor, did we inherit genes from one, the other or both clades? Or did the genes mutate since our respective most recent common ancestor?
Bicycles and tricycles are pretty similar, but they don't have the same number of wheels. You just stated yourself that bonobos and chimpanzees are closely related, yet they solve conflict differently. None of this really has much to do with whether or not humans are naturally monogamous or polygamous.
In modern biological phylogenics, humans, bonobos and chimpanzees are all members of not only the same Family: Homonidae, but also the same Subfamily: Homininae, as well as the same Tribe: Hominini. The genetic evidence is indisputable. You're right that they are not related to any of us, they are related to all of us. We all shared a common ancestor between 4.6 to 6.2 million years ago. Compare this with the Tribe: Ursini, in the Family: Ursidae (the bear family). You would have no trouble naming some creatures that are comparatively more distantly related creatures "bears".
I wasn't actually trying to state that humans were one way or the other, I was just pointing out that monogamy in general isn't unnatural.
I see nothing wrong with polygamy if all involved parties agree to it, but it seems like most people who argue specifically against monogamy call it "unnatural" just because they can't control themselves and want an excuse to cheat on their girlfriends.
It is also important to recognise that there is about 0.3% genetic separation between modern living humans. The major genetic difference between humans and bonobos, is a set of genes that codes for amino acids. What about Neanderthals (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis), who went extinct only a few thousands of years ago? Or did they? We now know there were admixtures through interbreeding.
Anyway, it's interesting to study bonobo and chimpanzee cultures, especially how they solve conflict (differently). One (chimpanzees) use war, and bonobos use sex. Since we all had a common ancestor, did we inherit genes from one, the other or both clades? Or did the genes mutate since our respective most recent common ancestor?
Compare this with the Tribe: Ursini, in the Family: Ursidae (the bear family). You would have no trouble naming some creatures that are comparatively more distantly related creatures "bears".