Marring your cousin

Former Member

besides the obvious birth defects a child could have, what are a few other reasons why a person shouldn't marry a family member of theirs?
Please elaborate this is for an English research paper and I want to thank everyone in advance for trying to help.

Former Member

Because it's fucking weird?

Also marrying a first cousin is illegal.

Former Member

I didn't think marrying first cousins was illegal.

Anyway: in a family often there are close family ties and so any subsequent relationship can be based on an abuse of power so to speak. If you have looked up to your brother or sister for many years, and respect and love them, and they try to start a sexual relationship you may feel pressured into it or whatever.

scholar.google.co.uk holds all the answers

Former Member

Cause your inlaws would also be your aunt and uncle and this would also be strange?

And you might get disowned by your family.
Bummer.

Former Member

IWishIWas wrote: »

Cause your inlaws would also be your aunt and uncle and this would also be strange?

And you might get disowned by your family.
Bummer.

I wonder if anyone has explored the reasons why it's socially unacceptable to screw your family members. Afterall, our closest living animal relatives, Bonobos, do it all the time. It's seen less as a holy expression of undying perpetual love and more of a way of keeping bonds between group members strong.

All the kings and queens of the middle ages were at it as well, because they wanted to keep the royal blood pure. I'm going to do a little bit of research now, see if I can't satiate my own curiosity whilst helping our English paper friend.

Former Member

Dyou know I actually think it's only frowned upon for deformed babies? Cause people used to do it all the time. Even Darwin did. He had babies with his cousin cause he thought that two amazing humans would create amazinger babies.

Former Member

http://darwinianconservatism.blogspot.com/2006/10/so-whats-wrong-with-incest.html

Against the tendency to explain morality as caused by moral reasoning, he suggests that moral reasoning usually comes after we have already made a moral judgment from our emotional reaction.

So we make our mind up based on emotions whether something is right or wrong, then find the justification for it. How interesting! Certainly explains the pro Israel camp :razz:. I will continue my search!

Former Member

IWishIWas wrote: »

Dyou know I actually think it's only frowned upon for deformed babies? Cause people used to do it all the time. Even Darwin did. He had babies with his cousin cause he thought that two amazing humans would create amazinger babies.

Not sur about this, I think it's illegal to have sex with your brother/sister even if they're adopted for example. It's a lot to do with the pressure you can put on someone by being so close to them. Same reason a teacher can't have sex with a student, even if the student is of consenting age.

Former Member

I guess that's fair.
But there seems to be something naturally hardwired into us that stops us from wanting these connections with our family members. And maybe the reason that it's hardwired like that is because it's not good.

Yup, my insight for the day.

Former Member

IWishIWas wrote: »

I guess that's fair.
But there seems to be something naturally hardwired into us that stops us from wanting these connections with our family members. And maybe the reason that it's hardwired like that is because it's not good.

Yup, my insight for the day.

:yes: Haidt, J. (2000) The Emotional Dog and its Rational Tail: A Social Intuitionist Approach to Moral Judgment

Intuitionism in philosophy refers to the view that there are moral truths, and that when people grasp these truths they do so not by a process of ratiocination and reflection, but rather by a process more akin to perception, in which one "just sees without argument that they are and must be true" (Harrison, 1967, p.72).

Former Member

Boo yah! My philosophy degree isn't all in vain, then!

Former Member

DANI164 wrote: »

besides the obvious birth defects a child could have, what are a few other reasons why a person shouldn't marry a family member of theirs?
Please elaborate this is for an English research paper and I want to thank everyone in advance for trying to help.

I know someone that married their cousin - had three sons all perfectly healthy - BUT they did all look like clones of each other, just different sizes.

plus when the marriage end (if is does) .. well .. can't really get away from each other ..

Former Member

I think it's legal to marry your cousin, but I don't see why anyone would want to. Apart from the fact that they should annoy you, they'd know things about you that you wouldn't want your partner to know, a divorce could destory the whole family, you'd have the same family so your kids would get fewer birthday presents and......to me it just seems wrong. Not in an "anyone who does it is a freak" kind of way, but in an "I'd never do it under any circumstances" kind of way. I think in some cultures it's socially acceptable to marry your cousin, I don't think it would put any children they have at risk, unless all four grandparents died of the same thing.

**helen**

Thunderstruck wrote: »

Also marrying a first cousin is illegal.

Actually, Naturegoddess is right. As TheSite.org's factsheet on fancying a family member states:

Cousins are the only genetic relations who are allowed to marry, though culturally any kind of romantic relationship is considered unusual. It was originally illegal, until King Henry VIII changed the law to allow him to marry his own cousin. If you're dead-set on going ahead with it, consult your GP to rule out genetic factors that might make having kids a bad idea.

Former Member

It IS legal to marry your first cousin, and its not at all obvious that your babies will have birth defects (unless cousin-marrying has been going on in the family for several generations).

Here's some famous people who married their cousins...

Queen Victoria (Prince Albert = first cousin)
Edward Grieg (composer) - 1st cousin
Jesse James - 1st cousin
David Lean - 1st cousin
JS Bach (composer) - 1st cousin
Albert Einstein - 1st cousin
Maslow (the humanist/psychologist) - 1st cousin
Jerry Lee Lewis -1st cousin
HG Wells - 1st cousin
Charles Darwin - 1st cousin
Rudy Guiliani - 2nd cousin
John Adams - 3rd Cousin
Thomas Jefferson - 3rd cousin
Franklin Roosevelt - 5th cousin

and there's a whole lot more out there if you spend some time on Google and wiki

Imho the biggest issue you'd have is other peoples' bigoted opinions, and if you love your partner then it shouldn't matter what other people think anyway.

Dr Pirate

Because my cousins aren't attractive.

Former Member

IWishIWas wrote: »

Cause your inlaws would also be your aunt and uncle and this would also be strange?

:yes: I didn't know it was legal now, but it does sound weird.