Scenario A: 100 women, 100 men. 100 men go off to war, 10 men return. But with polygamy, 100 women have 100 children for the next generation.
Scenario B: 100 women, 100 men. 50 women and 50 men go off to war, 5 men and 5 women return. You have 55 women left in the population and 55 children for the next generation.
The limiting factor in human population growth is the number of women that can have children. The cold calculus might be distasteful, but it is there.
Scenario B: 100 women, 100 men. 50 women and 50 men go off to war, 5 men and 5 women return. You have 55 women left in the population and 55 children for the next generation.
The limiting factor in human population growth is the number of women that can have children. The cold calculus might be distasteful, but it is there.