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I'm completely in favor of gay marriage because it merely removes unreasonable restrictions on an institution. Reasonable restrictions on marriage include bein

I'm completely in favor of gay marriage because it merely removes unreasonable restrictions on an institution. Reasonable restrictions on marriage include being under age and certain close relations. Polygamy isn't a relaxation of a restriction of marriage, it is expanding the concept. For example, if I am in a coma, my wife can make medical decisions for me. If I have two wives, what if they disagree? If two people are married, must they both agree on bringing a third into the marriage? What if one person from a three person marriage wishes to leave? None of these questions arise with gay marriage. The closest gay marriage comes to these problems is that it exposes the inherent sexism in child custody issues, since with two men there's not a mother involved who the court can presume is the better parent. As a libertarian, in theory I favor getting the state out of the marriage business, but in practice, marriage is a useful bundle of rights and responsibilities. That is, it's a standard contract between two people. We should make it possible for larger groups to enter into agreements granting the kinds of rights that marriage grants, but there is nothing discriminatory about saying that the state provides a standard simple contract for two-person marriage but if you want more than that, you'll have to see your lawyer.

raleec 17y ago
I'd only posit that expansion occurs because of the relaxation of a restriction. What if you don't want your single wife to make that decision for you? What if you have 3 wives? I think that barring scientific evidence of the harm to 3rd parties (inbred children), govt should let consenting adults create the family they want. But that leaves the door open for sterilized cousins and siblings, and bars some current hetero marriages. Ultimately allowed marriages are a proxy for what society at large deems "reasonable." That's why this is such an issue, and I think that most arguments otherwise, on both sides, are disingenuous.

raleec 17y ago

I'd only posit that expansion occurs because of the relaxation of a restriction. What if you don't want your single wife to make that decision for you? What if you have 3 wives? I think that barring scientific evidence of the harm to 3rd parties (inbred children), govt should let consenting adults create the family they want. But that leaves the door open for sterilized cousins and siblings, and bars some current hetero marriages. Ultimately allowed marriages are a proxy for what society at large deems "reasonable." That's why this is such an issue, and I think that most arguments otherwise, on both sides, are disingenuous.