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Saturday, September 9, 2017

On the Ethics of Arranged Marriages (in India)

Much has been said already. Yet I feel the need to speak out on this matter over and over again.

Despite the apparent success of arranged marriages in India, I must tell you that such success is only apparent and the actual structural basis of such marriages is morally questionable. I will try to analyse the arguments put forward by the traditional apologist (read, for instance, this article published by Times of India) in favour of arranged marriages. In doing so, we will hopefully realise that it is not a matter of lifestyle or culture to choose other forms of marriage over the traditional setup of arranged marriages, but a matter of moral imperative to condemn such established social practices that are inherently evil.