Book Review: The Meaning of Marriage by Robert George and Jean Elshtain - Page 2

The collection is a timely work that presents the history and theory of marriage in a cogent manner that makes discussing marriage policy not only possible, but can provide a framework for actually coming to a serious policy other than the typical libertarian “do-whatever-you-want” nonsense that ends up going nowhere.

The essays:

  1. "Sacrilege and Sacrament," by Roger Scruton
  2. "What About the Children? Liberal Cautions on Same- Sex Marriage," by Don Browning
  3. "Changing Dynamics of the Family in Recent European History," by Harold James
  4. "Why Unilateral Divorce Has No Place in a Free Society," by Jennifer Roback Morse
  5. "The Framers' Idea of Marriage and Family," by David F. Forte
  6. "The Family and the Laws," by Hadley Arkes
  7. "What's Sex Got to do with It? Marriage, Morality, and Rationality," by Robert P. George
  8. "Soft Despotism and Same-Sex Marriage," by Seana Sugrue
  9. "(How) Does Marriage Protect Child Well-Being?" by Maggie Gallagher
  10. "The Current Crisis in Marriage Law, Its Origins, and Its Impact," by Katherine Shaw Spaht
  11. "Suffer the Little Children: Marriage the Poor, and the Commonweal" by W. Bradford Wilcox

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Article Author: John Bambenek

John Bambenek is a freelance columnist and author. He is the author of Illinois Deserves Better and is an information security professional, part of the Internet Storm Center and a courseware author and certification grader for the GIAC family of security certifications. …

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  • The Meaning of Marriage: Family, State, Market, And Morals The Meaning of Marriage: Family, State, Market, And Morals

    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, ...

Article comments

  • 1 - jstephenclark

    May 15, 2006 at 6:54 am

    Although the author of this review attempts to claim some scholarly authority by disingenuously describing himself as "an academic professional for the University of Illinois," he is nothing more than a computer programmer with undergraduate degrees in physics and astronomy. Indeed, he describes himself on a university webpage as "an [sic] research programmer at the University of Illinois and an independent security consultant." In other words, he has no expertise whatsoever in this subject--unless he's been studying gay Martians, gay subatomic particles, or gay computer operating systems--nor is he a scholar. As his own website makes clear, he is simply a right-wing activist. And the book he reviews is just a collection of standard right-wing propaganda by the usual anti-gay suspects.

  • 2 - John Bambenek

    May 15, 2006 at 12:09 pm

    The title for a non-faculty staff person at the University of Illinois *is* Academic Professional. That's just what we're called there.

    You're opinion that only people you recognize with people that have approved positions should be the only ones allowed to speak is noted.

  • 3 - Jacob

    May 16, 2006 at 6:26 am

    That was a good laugh. Neeext.

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