Fantastic piece in the NY Times - a philosopher’s view on gay marriage. Ralph Wedgewood is a professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, and he’s also taught at MIT and Merton, Oxford. He presents a well-argued, philosophical treatise on the social valuation of marriage and why it should be available to all. Feel free to spread this worldwide until it becomes an incontrovertible meme.
Clip below. Click the link for the full piece:
While the argument in favor of same-sex marriage is compelling, its opponents have a point: while the legalistic view captures certain aspects of marriage, it is also limited. It is the second view, the one that encompasses both legal and social dimensions, that is the more plausible, and most accurately reflects our common reality. Marriage is indeed fundamentally a traditional way of life imbued with social meaning, held in place by law.
Ironically, however, this view does not support the ban on same-sex marriage. On the contrary, it supports the liberal conclusion that it is seriously unjust to deny marriage rights to same-sex couples.
The “social meaning” of marriage — as I use the term here — consists of the understandings and expectations regarding marriage that almost all members of society share. Marriage is above all a familiar institution: almost all members of society — even young children — have heard of it and have some notion of what it involves.
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Yes, excellent and stirred up some very passionate feelings on both sides at the end of the article, most (fortunately) in support with some very well-made points. As a heterosexual married person who attends church, I cringe when I hear or read articles about the “wrongness” of a) homosexuality or b) same-sex marriage.