Marriage and morals
Marriage and Morals (original title: Marriage and Morals ) is a 1929 book by the philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell . The German-language first edition was translated by Magda Kahn in 1930 under the title Ehe und Moral. A sexual ethic in the Münchner Drei Masken Verlag.
In his work, Russell dealt with the moral concept of sexuality and marriage , which was shaped by the Victorian era .
Russell argued that the laws and beliefs about sexuality were a mixture of different sources that had ceased to apply since the advent of contraception , as sexual acts were now separate from conception . He also argued that the most important thing in the well-being of children is the family, and therefore a man and woman should only be considered bonded after their first pregnancy .
Marriage and Morality immediately sparked numerous protests and denunciations against Russell during his stay in the United States shortly after the book was published. As recently as 1940, the book led to his being denied his appointment as professor at the City College of New York by a court ruling that called him "morally immature" to teach. A public call, which was initiated by a mother whose son was not at a price Russells in Mathematical Logic was approved, prejudged the verdict . Russell's treatment was criticized by the American philosopher and educator John Dewey and a number of other intellectuals of the time. Even Albert Einstein was referring in an open letter position for Russell.
Today, marriage and morals are considered a classic example of the philosophy of polyamory . Russell himself did not consider his treatises on morality to be of a philosophical nature.
literature
- Thom Weidlich: Appointment Denied: The Inquisition of Bertrand Russell. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, 1999. Book review by Stephen Leberstein, in: Academe, Nov / Dec 2001, online