Polyamory.

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Just to be clear, you are describing polygyny, which is not at all the same as polyamory.

Polyamory: (from Greek πολύ [poly, meaning many or several] and Latin amor [love]) is the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved.

In particular, polyamory includes permission for any gender (not just males) to have multiple intimate relationships.

Among apes, only Gorillas are naturally polygynous. The only apes that are biologically oriented toward monogamy are Gibbons, a rather non-social species (bonded pairs isolate themselves from society). Humans don't have much in common with either Gorillas or Gibbons. On the other hand, three closely related species: Chimps, Bonobos, and Humans, are naturally promiscuous (both males and females can have multiple partners). Humans, though rather ill-suited to monogamy, have only recently (after the advent of agriculture) superimposed monogamy (and sometimes polygyny). This recent change follows the accumulation and defense of property associated with settling land. As hunter-gatherers, humans were almost certainly promiscuous. I highly recommend the following book in defense of this thesis: Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality, by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá

Although many polyamorous people certainly do not consider themselves "promiscuous", I consider the anthropological term promiscuous to best fit the social term polyamorous. However, it should be noted that despite the sometimes negative connotation of "promiscuity", polyamorous relationships can be just as stable and emotionally deep as monogamous relationships. A subcategory of polyamory is polyfidelity, which involves an agreement of sexual exclusivity among a group of three or more.

I am polyamorous, and also promiscuous. I am in a stable, loving, and very harmonious marriage of six years. Given the solidity of our relationship, I expect to most likely spend the rest of my life with her. I have recently hand-fasted with my girlfriend with whom I have been in a relationship for twelve years (so now I have two wives). My first wife has three lovers (one of whom is my close friend and boss). My second wife (the ordinal refers to time, not importance -- I love them both infinitely) has several lovers. I am very grateful for the essentially complete absence of jealously (believe it or not) in my two most significant relationships.

In addition we all have several "friends with benefits" (which is why I shamelessly apply the term promiscuous to myself).

Just like people who practice serial monogamy, many of my past relationships have ended at some point, but in nearly every case they have ended harmoniously. Most of my former lovers are still my friends. This is in contrast to most monogamous relationships which unfortunately tend to end badly.

Another word I like to use to describe myself is "shameless". Perhaps the second most destructive social pattern (the first being war) is the association between sex and shame. As an Aspie, I missed out on the social programming that teaches sexual shame, and also that monogamy is the only legitimate pattern for our species. As a result, most social learning for me is at a conscious analytical level, and I am open to learning from a wider range of ideas. So the idea that polyamory correlates with the spectrum seems to fit for me.

I guess on that fateful day, I was just sitting around playing with the little bits of stones in the mud, and didn't notice when everyone else got kicked out of the garden.

- Ken

I see nothing wrong. I would have such a relationship if I had the chance and the interested women.

Of course, since I cannot say i have ever felt anything more than physical attraction for a woman, this is purely hypothetical. Either I am too uninterested or I have not found a woman who is interesting enough for me to focus on.

For my self never I think its wrong that said I profoundly believe in not forcing my ideals on others so if everyone in the situation agrees go ahead.

I approve of it, because people can do whatever they like within their own relationships as long it's what they all want, but I personally don't think I could do it.