It is interesting that free market thinkers (often to the right politically) claim to be among the more fervent supporters of the institution of monogamous marriage whereas more leftist economic thinkers are more associated with free love.

While certainly not universal, to the extent this is true you’d expect the opposite.  Free market economics is about rewarding the efforts of society’s greatest contributors.  It accepts the idea of inequality as necessary for greater productivity.  Extending this to marriage, this would imply that the most successful people should be entitled to the most mates whereas the least successful should struggle to find a mate at all.  This bit of amateur eugenics or social Darwinism should result in a stronger, better human race.  Right?

Not so fast.  Those conservative thinkers really like the institution of family, right? (That is if you don’t count congress … in every possible sense of the term.)

But that’s leftist.  “To each according to his needs, from each according to his ability.”  Fundamental Marxism.  Distribute the wealth.  Make people as equal as possible while addressing their needs.  One mate for each person – it’s what you need and what society can provide.  It doesn’t take into account what you can support, your success in life or anything else, but it sounds a lot like monogamous marriage.

But are the lefties the free lovers? Maybe not so much there either.

This whole argument is admittedly trivial, but should be fun for annoying the doctrinaire among your friends (lefty or righty) at your next cocktail party.