
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Edited by Robert P. George & Jean Bethke Elshtain
The movement for same-sex marriage has triggered an unprecedented crisis in the social norms and laws governing marriage. All great civilizations have sought to unite, in the institution of marriage, the goods of sexual intimacy, childbearing and childrearing, and life-long love between adults. But the last five decades have witnessed the erosion of marriage as a public institution in the developed world. The separation of the goods previously united in marriage has led thoughtful people to question why marriage should be denied to homosexuals.
This volume brings together the best of contemporary scholarship on marriage from a variety of disciplines - history, ethics, economics, law and public policy, philosophy, sociology, psychiatry, political science - to inform, and reform, public debate. Rigorous yet accessible, these studies aim to rethink and re-present the case for marriage as a positive institution and ideal that is in the public interest and serves the common good.
The essays in this volume were presented to an audience of scholars, journalists, public policy experts, and other professionals at a conference at Princeton University sponsored by the Witherspoon Institute. The authors are among the most eminent authorities on marriage and public policy in the English-speaking world.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Acknowledgments
- Foreword
- 1. Sacrilege and Sacrament
- 2. What About the Children? Liberal Cautions on Same-Sex Marriage
- 3. Changing Dynamics of the Family in Recent European History
- 4. Why Unilateral Divorce Has No Place in a Free Society
- 5. The Framers’ Idea of Marriage and Family
- 6. The Family and the Laws
- 7. What’s Sex Got to Do with It? Marriage, Morality, and Rationality
- 8. Soft Despotism and Same-Sex Marriage
- 9. (How) Does Marriage Protect Child Well-Being?
- 10. The Current Crisis in Marriage Law, Its Origins, and Its Impact
- 11. Suffer the Little Children: Marriage, the Poor, and the Commonweal
- Notes
- Contributors
- Index