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{{trope}}
[[File:
In some branches of sci-fi, a major aspect of the [[Utopia]] is the decline of monogamy.
Or, to put it bluntly, [[
There is [[Ethical Slut|no longer any social stigma attached to promiscuity]]. In fact, the few who ''are'' strictly monogamous are likely to be the ones who get weird looks. No-strings-attached sex may be seen as a great way of getting to know people, a good method of recreation or, alternatively, it may be suggested that it's a biological imperative to have children by as many people as possible (a popular concept when the resident population is limited - such as colonies or [[After the End]] events). The attitude to sex may vary from a cheerfully accepted part of life ("Hey, I'm bored. Wanna test the bedsprings?") to a pragmatic one ("Damn, the kid I had with George turned out to be [[Ax Crazy]]. Better have the next one with John."). No-one really cares who you sleep with either - any and all partners are acceptable.
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Occasionally, [[Fridge Logic]] will creep in. Contraception and sexual protection is rarely mentioned, and as any [[Government Information Adverts|govenment information advert]] is quick to tell you, if you're sleeping with more than one person you better demand a full medical certificate from every partner or take the appropriate precautions. This might be [[Hand Wave|handwaved]] by the author if they claim that STDs have been wiped out, or that there's some sort of stealth contraception that everyone in the population uses.
Less easy to handwave, though, is the issue of jealousy. In the present day, many people would take a very dim view of their partner sleeping with ''one'' [[Your Cheating Heart|other person]], never mind having sex with ''anyone'' who took their fancy. Idealistic views of love often include ideas of one, single soul mate. Conversely, in its more negative incarnations, love is commonly [[Love Makes You Crazy|associated with jealousy]] (or even, [[Love Makes You Evil|possession]]). While a few stories will make a real attempt at explaining the decline of jealousy (since we already [[You're Just Jealous|acknowledge]] it as one of the more [[Green-Eyed Monster|negative emotions]]), a more common tactic is to demonise or mock anyone who expects a partner to be exclusive to them. They will probably be regarded as backward, repressed or selfish in a Free Love Future. They don't have to go [[Axe Crazy]] or [[Fatal Attraction (
Commonly, a
Openly sexual societies are also frequently predicted to be the result of disassociation between sex and reproduction, for example, in a civilization that embraces [[Designer Babies|Ectogenesis]] ([[wikipedia:Ectogenesis|*
[[Dystopia
Often involves an [[Everyone Is Bi]] society. A [[Double Standard]] may be in operation, often ensuring that one gender is sexually available for their entire lives while the other can only do so until they get married, whereupon they are expected to be faithful to their partner. Often interpreted as wish fulfillment or [[Author Appeal]], especially if they remember [[The Sixties]].
Heavily depends on the age when the work was written: back in the 60s non-penetrative and homosexual sex were often forbidden. Nowadays, sex and love is generally more free than before (as practices of most sex barring pedophilic relationships and zoophilia are completely legal in the West). Certain countries also go as far to even legalize prostitution (like for example New Zealand) and (adult) incest (as in certain European countries and Japan). That being said, family as the basic social unit still stays strong and that seems unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, so truly "free love" will probably never be a reality. HIV still being a thing (and with a noticeable lack of progress in actually curing the disease) is also a major impediment for a true second sexual revolution, as ''nobody'' with any degree of self-consciousness about others wants to transmit a deadly, highly debilitating disease for the sake of pleasure (though pre-exposure and post-exposure profilaxis makes HIV transmission generally more difficult than before, and there are now some very effective treatments to control it once contracted).
See also [[Eternal Sexual Freedom]], [[Fetish Fuel Future]]. This trope is also the logical future extension of the [[Everybody Has Lots of Sex]] setting. Contrast with [[No Sex Allowed]]
{{noreallife|it isn't "The Future" yet.}}
{{examples}}
==
* ''[[Elf Quest]]'' is a variation. The elves are descended from an advanced species who are implied to have outgrown the need for physical pleasure. Acquiring elf form restored their ability to feel sexual pleasure, and they've been exploring every possible ([[Consenting Adults]]) variety ever since. It helps that the elves' birthrate is low.
* In ''[[The Authority]]'', Midnighter encounters people from a future where "everyone does everyone", and no-one remembers what heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality even ''means''. It's more implied to be an [[Everyone Is Bi]] future, though, as the head time agent points to her two (male) partners and says, "They got together after they found out their girlfriends were seeing each other."
* The [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] gives us Zeltrons. Just...Zeltrons. They don't feel any sort of jealousy, and they're attracted to Force-sensitives. Now, who is there who is [[Mark Hamill|the most powerful Force-sensitive in the galaxy]]? Leia gets her own Zeltron fans, but while Luke doesn't canonically sleep with any of the Zeltrons, he doesn't hate them. Leia can't put up with their amorous advances.
* In the hedonistic future of [[Transmetropolitan]], sex is as trivialized as everything else; the most popular children's cartoon is the Sex Puppets, and Channon orders oral sex along with her meal at a restaurant. All kinds of perverse fetishes are implied, but pedophilia remains illegal and reviled, at least by Spider.
== Films ==
* In the future world of ''[[Logan's Run]]'', sex is viewed as a casual activity to pass the time. Almost to the point of, "I'm bored... wanna shag?"
** The plot addressed this twice; once when Logan and Frances are watching the infants be implanted with Lifelocks, and later when Logan and Jessica meet the old man and are amazed that he not only knew who his parents were but was raised by them. It's not specifically stated, but the implication seems to be that all babies are conceived in vitro. When Logan 5 points out Logan 6 to Frances, he openly states he has no idea who the mother is, and seems to imply that he's the father.
*** There is also one scene in the book where a female runner gets caught because she detours to a nursery she happens to see thinking "my baby might be in there!" implying that babies are taken away from their mothers immediately or shortly after birth.
** Also of significance is ''The Circuit'', an electronic carousel for sex-seeking singles looking to hook up with an anonymous partner.
* The original script for ''[[Alien (
* [[Double Subverted]] in ''[[Demolition Man]]''. Huxley proposes sex with Spartan so casually that it completely takes him aback. However, it snaps back when he learns that their version of sex is in some ways more conservative than the modern version, but also feels like [[Mind Rape]] to him (i.e. ''too'' personal). Just because you want to sleep with someone, doesn't mean you want them in your head.
== Literature ==
* [[Iain M Banks
* [[Anne McCaffrey]] loves this trope
** [[Dragonriders of Pern|Dragonriders]] consider it detrimental to their dragons to be strictly monogamous and will sleep with whichever rider is bonded to the dragon that mates with their own. Even if dragon mating isn't involved, the dragonriders have a habit of taking multiple lovers and most (heterosexual/bisexual) riders will have many children by several different partners. In a bit of a [[Rule-Abiding Rebel]] moment though, the "best" of the characters - such as F'lar and Lessa - are all in exclusive partnerships. A [[Double Standard]] is involved here - most ''women'' are mongamous, and those that aren't were either [[Good People Have Good Sex|unpleasant]] (Kylara), [[Rape
*** It makes sex literally a way of promotion among dragonriders. You want to be a Weyrleader? Get a senior queen’s rider into your bed and make sure she stays there long enough.
** The author has also written several short stories on the theme, including ''Changeling,'' which dealt with a woman who bore the children of three different men (including one who was exclusively gay...)
* Most of the later works of [[Robert Heinlein]] feature a cheerfully polyamorous future, especially if Lazarus Long is involved. [[Robert A. Heinlein|Heinlein]] was also fond of legitimizing [[wikipedia:Polyfidelity|expanded families]] (i.e. non-polygyny-centric polygamy) in which sex was consensual within the group.
* [[Tanith Lee]]'s ''[[Biting the Sun]]'' depicts a future like this. Jang (young adults) are considered deviant if they're ''not'' sleeping around.
* ''[[Brave New World (
** Note that citizens are expected to demonstrate no less than full involvement in the community, including participation in [[Exactly What It Says
* In George Alec Effinger's ''[[Budayeen]]'' trilogy, transsexual surgery is so common that sexual mores are thoroughly blurred. Anyone who insists on "pure" gender roles is likely to be considered kinky.
** Likewise in [[John Varley]]'s ''Eight Worlds'' stories, though a surprising number still do adhere to some forms of traditional sexual mores as they struggle to reconcile 300 years of technology with <s>thousands</s> millions of years of evolution.
* ''[[The Amtrak Wars]]'' by Patrick Tilley. Sex is no big deal, and "love" is unheard of; the word doesn't even exist in their society.
* In the ''[[
* In the One State, the setting of Yevgeny Zamyatin's novel ''We''
* In the second part (of three) of [[Arthur C. Clarke
** Also note, however, that the [[Take That|dissolution of most major Earth religions]] (thanks to the Overlords) was going on at the same
* In ''Imperial Earth'' by Arthur C. Clarke the protagonist has a homosexual love affair with his best friend when they are teenagers, which becomes a three-in-a-bed triangle when they both fall in love with a female visitor.
* In the [[Vorkosigan Saga]] Beta Colony is described has having very relaxed mores. The age of consent is approximately puberty, and for girls there is a small rite of passage with the first contraceptive implant, and the Orb of Unearthly Delights is a bordello famous throughout the galaxy. There are no prostitutes as such, but there are plenty of licensed ''sexual therapists''. Betans wear coded ear rings to advertise their partnership status and avoid complicated guessing games.
* In Michael Moorcock's ''Dancers at the End of Time'' novels humanity has shed all its taboos as a result of acquiring immortality and godlike powers.
* In [[Piers Anthony]]'s ''[[Apprentice Adept]]'' series, this is one of the things that sets apart the conservative, magical world of Phaze and the decadent science-based Proton. In ''Phaze Doubt'', an android has to be badgered into not pressing her attempts at sex with the protagonist on a public transport; not because it's taboo, but because she was clearly annoying him.
* In the ''[[
** Manticore takes the trope in another direction: so long as it's between consenting adults, whatever relationship or lack thereof one wants and can find partners for is acceptable, and nobody raises an eyebrow about strict monogamy, asexuality, homosexuality, [[Polyamory]] or a girl in every port. ([[Your Cheating Heart|Cheating on a committed relationship]] is ''not'' okay, but that's because you're [[I Gave My Word|breaking your word]].) The author makes an [[Anvilicious]] contrast between this and Beowulf's version; Manticore's is portrayed as the [[Utopia
* In [[The Dresden Files]], Harry realizes that this is the ultimate goal of the [[Our Vampires Are Different|White Court]]. This is '''''NOT''''' a good or altruistic thing. They want this for two reasons. For food, and to eliminate Love, the one thing they're allergic to.
** The Raith family in particular wants this. Other families in the White Court feed on other emotions, like fear, and are allergic to their opposites; they wouldn't necessarily take a direct benefit from the elimination of love, although they might just be cartoon-villain enough to want it gone anyway.
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* Many of Vonda N. McIntyre's works, including ''[[Dreamsnake]]'' and the ''Starfarers'' series.
* [[Brian Aldiss]]'s ''The Primal Urge'' is a satire in which a machine that makes it impossible to hide sexual attraction has a dramatic affect on British reserve.
* [[Robert Silverberg]]'s ''The World Inside'' is set in a huge skyscraper (Urban Monad or [[We Will Use Wiki Words in
* In [[Sergey Lukyanenko]]'s ''[[A Lord From Planet Earth|Sea of Glass]]'', the protagonist is a modern-day man who ends up in the 22nd century at the end of the previous novel. At one point, he encounters a group of people known as rodders (a mix of bikers and hippies), who choose to live on the road (no bikes, though). He then sees three of them (two males and a female) having wild sex in the middle of the woods. He returns to an old rodder and asks if this is how things are done now, especially since one of the males is 13 (age in the 22nd century is no longer a sign of maturity; once a person can prove his or her independence, he or she is considered an adult). The man replies that this is a price to pay for the complete freedom their society enjoys. Freedom and arbitrary rules don't mix. It is not clear if this behavior is only limited to rodders or is prevelent in the general population. The protagonist himself is happily married to his [[Human Alien]] [[Everything's Better
* ''The Rainbow Cadenza'' by J. Neil Schulman takes the slogan "Make love, not war" to its dystopian conclusion. In a society where men vastly outnumber women, the latter are conscripted into brothels (with accompanying propaganda and social/legal pressure) under the rationale that male aggression needs to be diverted into sex rather than fighting. Those women who refuse can legally be hunted down, raped and killed.
* ''[[The Forever War]]'' by Joe Haldeman. By law no-one can be conscripted into the military unless they are already promiscuous, and in basic training all recruits have a 'sleeping roster' where they're assigned a different partner every night (which leads to grumbling that you always get the dead-tired ones when you're horny, and vice versa). By the end of their first tour though, everyone has settled into a regular (though still not strictly monogamous) relationship with someone. Due to [[Time Dilation]] however human society has changed vastly since they left; promiscuous heterosexual relationships are discouraged due to over-population. With homosexuality the norm, such behaviour is regarded (at best) as a quaint anachronism and at worst outright perversion.
* A rather startling example for [[What Do You Mean It's for Kids?|young adult novel]] is in the [[Green
* There are elements of this in Susan Price's ''Odin's Voice'' trilogy: early on in the first book the teenage [[Spoiled Brat|protagonist]] avoids an argument by asking a male friend if he wants 'to sex'. They sign a consent form and go off to a dedicated room. Of course, this is a society where classical gods such as Hera are still worshipped, so you might assume there are still conservative attitudes around as well.
* In [[Isaac Asimov|Isaac Asimov's]] ''[[The Robots of Dawn]]'' the hedonistic robot based culture of Aurora has 'free love' completely divorced from reproduction, making sex meaningless and far less satisfactory. At least, that's how an outsider from a [[No Sex Allowed]] society sees it; the locals keep insisting it's not that bad. Jealousy is considered an obscene word.
* In ''[[The Dispossessed]]'', it is mentioned that people who aren't coupled frequently engage in one-night stands. Also, it is not uncommon for friends to have sex with each other to affirm their bond. The main character Shevek has sex with his male friend, even though Shevek is not particularly attracted to him
* In ''[[
* In [[David Brin]]'s ''[[Uplift]]'' series many humans have little trouble sharing their spouses. Possibly influenced by our chimpanzee and dolphin clients who are by no means monogamists.
* [[Gene Wolfe]]'s ''Home Fires'' is set in a future where marriage is a largely unknown anachronism restricted to religious people. Instead, people form "contracts" (basically civil unions - and they can be same or opposite sex), and monogamy is not expected. Except that people still get jealous and react badly to their partners having relations with others - however they also don't understand why they feel jealous and even try to rationalize away their feelings.
* ''[[
== Live-Action TV ==
* [[Word of God]] says this is how things are in the universe of ''[[
** Aside from the Federation, this was the [[Planet of Hats|Hat]] of Edo in ''The Next Generation'' and the Betazoids in the novels, to say nothing of Risa, which has varied from "classy resort planet" to "[[Viva Las Vegas|Space Vegas]]".
** Interestingly, the onscreen depictions mainly skew towards the idea of inter-species sexual relations being widely-accepted (at least in the Federation) so long as they involve the opposite-sex, but same-sex relations even within a species seem to be very, very rare. In the instances where such do appear, they are either connected to demonstrations of [[Depraved Bisexual|villainy]] or else [[Gender Bender|aliens with different biology than humans]].
* In the ''[[
** There's a reason for that. The crew of the Holoship are notoriously arrogant and all speak very coldly and professionally, even while having sex. Rimmer's passion for joining the crew ended up making him the most attractive man on that ship.
* In ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and especially ''[[
== Tabletop Games ==
* ''[[Eclipse Phase]]'' has this as a characteristic of its immortal society. [[STD Immunity]] and easy contraception are, of course, among the basic modifications attached to any biomorph except the completely unfixed.
* Ironically given how rigid Clan society normally is in ''[[
* In ''[[Cthulhu Tech]]'' casual sex is seen as perfectly normal, although most people use it as a way to eventually meet someone with which they want to have a monogamous relationship.
==
* In ''[[Culpa Innata]]'', the Union society has been restructured to be based on purely scientific principles. One of which completely dissolves the traditional family unit and the concept of marriage... sorry, a "[[You Keep Using That Word|nuptual agreement]]." People are expected to have multiple sexual partners, although you can have a primary sexual partner, which has no legal status. Also, for some reason, men are no longer the courtiers. Women are expected to ask men out and pay for dinners and the like. If a man starts hitting on a woman, she will usually leave in disgust. This can be a problem for immigrants from the "rogue states" (Russia, India, China, etc.), which still cling to old traditions. Phoenix even warns an Indian immigrant applying for Union citizenship, who confesses to having multiple affairs, while his wife couldn't due to a [[Double Standard]] stigma, that he should have no such expectations in the Union. Jealousy is never mentioned, as attachment is frowned upon. Phoenix also speaks with her best friend about nuptial agreements and the thought of being with the same person for more than a week, let alone decades, is disturbing, as boredom would set in.
** Of course, there are varying degrees to which people abide by this. Phoenix, for example, is pretty concervative by Union standards. While she frowns on long-term attachments, she never appears to have more than one partner at a time. Her best friend, though, appears to be more promiscuous (not that this word has any negative connotation in the Union) and her usual answer to Phoenix's problems is "[[You Need to Get Laid]]". The game involves Phoenix investigating the murder of a recent Union citizen, a Russian immigrant. While interviewing his "prime sexual partner", she finds out that the woman was his wife in Russia, but they were forced to annul their "nuptual agreement" in order to obtain Union citizenship. She appears to have remained faithful to the victim, while he was reported to having attempted to hit on several women. Given that women are expected to hit on men in the Union, all his attempts were unsuccessful.
* In ''[[Linburger]]'' all the [[
▲* In ''[[Linburger]]'' all the [[Demi Human]] races live a life of hedonism, with most having or seeking a primary partner, but exclusivity apparently the exception rather than the rule, and are (with some reason) stereotyped as being members of a religion built around it. Humans up on the surface, however, still seem to cling to their old notions of monogamy, but most find reason to nip downstairs and indulge their more libertine fantasies once in a while.
* A likely future (and present) in [[Ménage à 3]], as seen in the page image.
== Web Original ==
▲== Web Originals ==
* [[Chakona Space]] seems to fit the description, at least as far as [[Funny Animal|morphs]] and especially [[Hermaphrodite|Chakats]] are concerned. And their human lovers usually learn to accept it, Admiral Boyce eventually has five wives (three cat-like aliens from two different species and two chakats).
** You should also consider that it was originally intended as a Star Trek fanfic.
** The Faleshkarti have the dystopian version, due to their biology. {{spoiler|While they're emotionally mature and quite intelligent at a young age, sexual maturity makes them wildly horny. And loss of virginity makes them stupid until they get pregnant. Therefore, once they're sexually mature, they're doing their damnedest to get knocked up.}}
* The online adult science fiction novel ''A Perfect World'' by Al Steiner depicts a future where all STDs have been eliminated, people are infertile until they decide they want to procreate (at which point they just go to the doctor and tell them they want their fertility activated), and open attitudes toward sex are the norm. As a result it's very common for people to "get acquainted with each other" by having sexual relations (sex in public places is legal, and nobody even bats an eye when it happens), and monogamy is considered a primitive and outdated concept.
== Western Animation ==
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Love Tropes]]
[[Category:Sex Tropes]]
[[Category:Hedonism Tropes]]
[[Category:We Will
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