ABSTRACT
What can be said by political philosophy about the topics of marriage, sex and the family? Political philosophical scrutiny stands contrasted with aesthetic, moral or prudential appraisal. Yet, at first glance marriage, sex and family-the sphere of the intimate-seems to lie beyond the reach of politics, and thus of the discourse of political philosophy. The intimate is “private” and the private is essentially contrasted with the public or political. However, this characterization view rests on confusions about what is meant by the “private,” a topic to which Section 1 is devoted.
