Love

Are there any secular arguments in favor of marriage as a moral good as compared to common law or cohabitation arrangements? If not, does that mean marriage is no more than a cultural tradition or something for tax purposes?

Comments

There are such arguments, and they tend to be that marriage is the best framework to raise children. No doubt there are arguments on both sides of this, but if it is best for children to be brought up by married parents, that is some sort of moral argument for the institution.

On the other hand, marriage can also be an example of what is involved in keeping a promise, if that is the form of the marriage service, through thick and thin, as an ideal. When one sees a spouse looking after his or her partner even though Alzheimer's has taken the mind of the patient, one gets some idea of the nobility of the commitment which is supposed to last a lifetime of such a relationship.

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