Traditionally, monogamy has been the form of romantic relationship which people have been assumed to want to pursue. But there has recently been a growing tendency among some to question this assumption, and instead to pursue polyamorous or other forms of romantic attachment. And this tendency has been reflected in philosophical debates too. Some have gone so far as to question whether monogamous relationships can be defended at all, prompting others to think more deeply about what the distinctive value of monogamous relationships, if any, might be. I spoke to Luke Brunning, a Lecturer in Applied Ethics at the IDEA Centre, and we explored some of this fascinating ethical territory.

Luke Brunning is a Lecturer in Applied Ethics at the IDEA Centre, and part of the Centre for Love, Sex and Relationships. His main research interests are romantic relationships, the emotions, applied ethics and moral life.

Luke has a book on Romantic Agency coming out in May 2024, and available to order here:
https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=romantic-agency-loving-well-in-modern-life--9781509551521

... and his previous book on monogamy is here: https://thamesandhudson.com/does-monogamy-work-9780500295694

He was interviewed about that book here: https://mashable.com/article/does-monogamy-work-luke-brunning-book-interview

He's also written this article (freely available) on jealousy: https://aeon.co/essays/love-without-jealousy-consider-the-benefits-of-compersion

Finally, he also recommends this book on monogamy by Carrie Jenkins:

https://www.routledge.com/Why-Its-OK-to-Not-Be-Monogamous/Clardy/p/book/9781032449784

Ethics Untangled is produced by IDEA, The Ethics Centre at the University of Leeds.

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9. What's wrong (or right) with monogamy? With Luke Brunning