What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense
Cover of the first edition
|
|
| Authors | Sherif Girgis Ryan T. Anderson Robert P. George |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Marriage |
| Publisher | Encounter Books |
|
Publication date
|
December 2012 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 168 |
| ISBN | 978-1594036224 |
What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense is a 2012 book about marriage by Sherif Girgis, the philosopher Robert P. George, and Ryan T. Anderson, in which the authors argue against same-sex marriage.[1]
Background[edit]
The book is based on an academic article published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, a student-edited conservative journal, in 2010.[2][3] One month before its publication, in November 2012, the co-authors published another article in The Wall Street Journal presenting the book.[4]
Summary[edit]
George, Girgis and Anderson argue against gay marriage.[1] They suggest that marriage should lead to procreation, which is not possible for two people of the same sex.[1] They call this the 'conjugal view'.[1] Moreover, they argue that gay marriage would open the door to short-term unions and polygamy.[1] They go on to suggest that gay marriage would be an expansion of the power of the state and a violation of religious liberty.[1]
Reception[edit]
Writing for Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, Douglas Farrow, a Professor of Christian Thought at McGill University, suggested the book represented 'a model contribution to public discourse, combining clarity and pithiness with fairness and generosity.'[5] He added that the arguments professed by the co-authors were 'eminently rational'.[5] In the Claremont Review of Books, Hadley Arkes concurred with arguments developed by the co-authors.[6]
Writing for First Things, Hans Boersma, the J. I. Packer Professor of Theology at Regent College, said the book was 'remarkably well documented and proceed[ed] with a lawyer’s precision.' However, he criticized the authors for presenting sex as a private matter. Instead, he suggested they should have gone further and argued that homosexual activity was harmful to families and to American society as a whole. As a result, he argued that 'many will remain unconvinced' by the book.[2]
In Prospect, Alex Worsnip, a Teaching Fellow of Philosophy at Yale University concluded that 'the arguments of What Is Marriage [were] no less flimsy than those of other anti-gay marriage crusaders.'[1] He concluded that the 'bad arguments' in the book amounted to 'nonsense.'[1]
In 2013, Zachary Young of The Yale Politic called it, 'the touchstone for the defense of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife' in National Review.[3] The book was cited by Justice Samuel Alito in his decision over United States v. Windsor, which led to a repeal of a section of the Defense of Marriage Act.[3][6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Alex Worsnip, Arguing against gay marriage, Prospect, January 30, 2013
- ^ a b Hans Boersma, Defending Marriage, First Things, March 2013
- ^ a b c Zachary Young, Talking on What Is Marriage?, National Review, December 16, 2013
- ^ Sherif Girgis, Ryan T. Anderson, Robert P. George, The Wisdom of Upholding Tradition, The Wall Street Journal, November 20, 2012
- ^ a b Douglas Farrow, No Offense Taken, Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, September/October 2014
- ^ a b Hadley Arkes, When a Man Loves a Woman, Claremont Review of Books, November 4, 2013