Alright, this isn’t another pedophile thread, so hopefully it can get some good discussion without getting move to rant house.
My understanding is that it used to be the social norm for girls to get wed, bedded, etc., at a much younger age, maybe in the 12-14 range.
The magic arbitrary number is 18 now, but my question is, was the age limit pushed up mainly because of the higher life expectancy? When you only live until 45, it seems important to get started younger, but now that we’re living well into our 80’s, there isn’t as much of a rush.
Or is it because of maturity levels, and our understanding of human psychology?
If it’s the former, then I would expect that arbitrary number to go up from 18 as we live longer and longer. If it’s the second reason, then do you think there will ever be a better understanding of human psychology that will increase or decrease this age? Do you think it will go up or down in the future?
I still consider a threesome I had while I was 19 with a 12 and 14 year old the peak of my sexual career.
Look at any porn site and the notion of “co-eds” or for the more risqué “young leafs” is a massive section. That suggests there is an inherent appeal to ebophilia.
Striking the balance is tricky from a legalistic and societal perspective. How much is too much and who can constent?
In classical situations these questions have no relevance. After all, marriage in a pre-modern society is a property contract. If sex is occurring outside of marriage under those conditions, it would have almost certainly have been with a professional. Those fall under the fourth-catagory of the “neither accepted nor condemned” sort.
Tricky tricky.
Of course, D&D just thinks that we’ll be manchildren until 45 as life expectancy increases. Granted, they traffic in men-children so, errr, what do you expect?
Actually, from what I heard, the low life expectancy of the middle ages (which is when it reached an all time low) was really just an average. 1 out of every 2 children did not live past the age of about 3 or 4, but once you got well into your childhood, you could expect to live a relatively long life (which still didn’t measure up to the life expectancy of today, of course, but you could probably make it into your 60s). So although the life expectancy did go up somewhat, the figures we’re given are just averages, and so they do exaggerate the change.
It’s also possible that we are simply looking back from today’s norm and trying to explain something that doesn’t need explaining.
But sure - agricultural society - they don’t all make it - offspring are required - plenty of land - not enough people. Procreate early and often.
Now, we view almost everything important that happens as possibly traumatic. And every trauma as indescribably horrific.
I think it will go down.
Many of the rules of society today actually delay maturation. I think this issue can usefully be seen within the context of the “modern” belief that children should remain children for a very long time. Which is unfair to children.