eBook

Untying the knot

Metz, Tamara

2010

Overview

Marriage is at the center of one of today's fiercest political debates. Activists argue about how to define it, judges and legislators decide who should benefit from it, and scholars consider how the state should protect those who are denied it. Few, however, ask whether the state should have anything to do with marriage in the first place. In Untying the Knot, Tamara Metz addresses this crucial question, making a powerful argument that marriage, like religion, should be separated from the state. Rather than defining or conferring marriage, or relying on it to achieve legitimate public welfare goals, the state should create a narrow legal status that supports all intimate caregiving unions. Marriage itself should be bestowed by those best suited to give it the necessary ethical authority--religious groups and other kinds of communities. Divorcing the state from marriage is dictated by nothing less than basic commitments to freedom and equality.

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Subject: A Theory of Justice / Activism / Adoption / Anecdotal evidence / Approbation / Attempt / Authority problem / Basic rights / Bundle of rights / Caregiver / Celibacy / Civil marriage / Civil society / Civil union / Civil unions / Civil unions -- United States / Classical liberalism / Common law / Compulsory heterosexuality / Consideration / Continuance / Controversy / Covenant marriage / Crime / Critique / Culpability / Cultural diversity / De facto / Defense of Marriage Act / Divorce / Divorce -- United States / Domestic partnership / Duty of care / Duty to protect / Dystopia / Eisenstadt v. Baird / Explanation / Feminism (international relations) / Fundamental rights / Gender inequality / Gender role / Government / Griswold v. Connecticut / Harm principle / Heteronormativity / Heterosexism / Homosexuality / Imaginary Domain / Impediment (canon law) / In re Marriage Cases / Infidelity / Institution / Insurance / John Rawls / Just society / Justification for the state / Legal practice / Liberal feminism / Liberalism / Limited government / Marital status / Marriage / Marriage -- United States / Marriage law / Mary Lyndon Shanley / Morality / Multiculturalism / Negative liberty / No-fault divorce / Norm of reciprocity / Obligation / On Liberty / Opportunism / Oppression / Original intent / Political Liberalism / Political philosophy / POLITICAL SCIENCE / POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory / POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / General / Politics / SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / Marriage & Family / Sociology / State / U.S.A / United States
• ISBN: 9780691126678, 0691126674, 9781400832224, 1400832225