Family Quote by Christopher Ryan
““A natural family.” Perhaps this easy acceptance between adults and unrelated children, the diffuse nurturing found in societies where children refer to all men as father and all women as mother, societies small and isolated enough to safely assume the kindness of strangers, where overlapping sexual relationships leave genetic paternity unknowable and of little consequence…perhaps this is the “natural” family structure of our species.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá, 2010
The quote suggests that human societies historically practiced a fluid, communal child‑rearing system where kinship was defined by care rather than genetics.
In simple terms: Humans once raised children in shared, non‑biological families.
Key Takeaway
Embrace community support for children.
Themes
family
kinship
community
evolution
social structure
Mood
reflective
thoughtful
Type
sociological
anthropological
When to use this quote
- communal child‑rearing
- modern foster care
- adoptive families
- social welfare programs
Key Concepts
anthropology
social evolution
kin selection
Questions to Reflect On
- How would child outcomes change in a more communal system?
- What barriers exist to adopting shared parenting today?
A Different Perspective
Modern legal and cultural norms often prioritize nuclear families, limiting communal care.
![“[Man] has imagined a heaven, and has left entirely out of it the supremest of all his delights, the one ecstasy that stands first and foremost in the heart of every individual of his race…sexual intercourse! It is as if a lost and perishing person in a roasting desert should be told by a rescuer…” quote by Christopher Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/939/christopher-ryan-4309_joy_man-has-imagined-a-heaven-and-has-left-e_187069.jpg)
