Many of us celebrate romance during the month of February. (And a quick survey of the work of some Libertarian romance novelists, such as Karen Kay and Lauren Royal, reminds me that I am woefully out of my depth on this subject.)

So, as Valentine's Day approaches, why not briefly explore the relationship between love and politics?

In the libertarian-themed movie Serenity, Captain Malcolm Reynolds' character ("Mal") is a hardened military veteran who seemingly lacks a moral compass. But in the closing scene of the movie, Mal shows that his heart also governs his actions when he speaks metaphorically to a member of his crew.

MAL

You know what the first rule of flying is?

...

Love.

You can learn all the math in the universe.

But you take a boat in the air that you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turn of the worlds.

Love keeps her in the air when she ought to fall down, tells you she's hurting before she keels, makes her a home.

...

"Politics is what love isn't."

--Theodore Roszak

It may seem out of place to discuss a concept like love in a political blog. But if one notes the relationship between politics and aggression, then perhaps it's not so strange.

For many Libertarians, love is the absence of politics.

Of course, affairs of the heart devoid of politics are not without conflict. Evolutionary psychologist David Buss reminds us that, despite civilizing influences, the human mind is still hard-wired toward survival and reproduction. Love, jealousy, and sex are strategies toward achieving those ends.

Moreover, the struggle to survive and reproduce has resulted in the creation of institutions such as marriage to further civil society.

In Chapter 13 ("Marriage, Sex and Babies") of his book Law's Order: What Economics Has to Do with Law and Why It Matters libertarian economist David Friedman analyzes three oddities of modern society: the high frequency of divorce, the substantial populations of unmarrieds, and the substantial number of children born out of wedlock. (Similar analyses are in Chapter 21 ("The Economics of Love and Marriage") of his previous book Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life.)

According to Friedman in Law's Order, these social phenomena are the result of advances in technology that have allowed both spouses to become more productive, and thus less reliant on one another. Reduced mortality rates for infants and children are another cause.

(In Hidden Order, Friedman also analyzes plural marriage and concludes that both women and men would be better off if it were more widely practiced. If true, then next month's debut of HBO's "Big Love," a television drama about a polygamous family, should be a positive development for Americans.)

Whatever actions one feels are necessary to protect one's family, the Libertarian Party's national platform recognizes that government cannot protect committed relationships without assaulting both our personal lives and our families.

---

Like humor, one is loathe to over-analyze affairs of the heart ... lest the life gets stripped out of them.

As writer Thomas Moore implores regarding the soul of committed relationships, "it is more important to honor its mystery than to try to outwit its intentions for what we, with our small minds, may think it a better outcome."

So as we celebrate romance this month, remember that both love and liberty are what make life worth living.

Perhaps if more people honored the dignity of our personal and shared mysteries, then love can truly set us free.

Wishing you love in your life, I am

Yours in liberty,

Rob Latham, Chair

Libertarian Party of Utah

P.S.: "L" stands not only for "love," but also the Libertarian Party of Utah on your Utah income tax return. If your spouse and you think that's nice, please write "L" in twice. ;-)