The+Philosophy+of+Sex

Andrew Sell ** The Philosophy of Sex  ** ** Overview  ** The philosophy of sex deals with a vast array of topics all relating to human sexuality. Among the various topics focused on in the philosophy of sex and sexuality are procreation, contraception, celibacy, marriage, adultery, casual sex, flirting, prostitution, homosexuality, masturbation, seduction, rape, sexual harassment, sadomasochism, pornography, bestiality, and pedophilia (Soble, 2009). For the purpose of this article, the focus will be on the philosophy of sex and sexuality within the realm of communication, specifically dealing with communicating sexual desire, sexual roles, and consent. ** Historical Perspective  ** Many classic philosophers have looked at issues relating to the philosophy of sex. In relevance to the idea of consent, historical philosopher Kant, along with Pope John Paul II, believed that when one allows oneself to be used sexually by another, one allows oneself to be made an object. Kant believed that sexual activity should avoid treating a person as a means only in marriage, because in marriage both individuals have surrendered their bodies and souls to one another, thus achieving a form of metaphysical unity (Soble, 2009). Plato offers his own perspectives on the philosophy of sex in his // Symposium // where he discusses the art of love. Plato believed that sex can lead to virtue and as soon as the illusion is enjoyed, it gives birth not to a realistic attempt to acquire virtue, but to a sexual seduction fantasy (Reeve, 2011). Plato even compares communicating philosophically with someone to having sexual intercourse, saying that talking philosophy is having sexual intercourse and vice versa (Reeve, 2011). ** Modern Philosophy of Sex  ** A leading contemporary philosopher in the field of the philosophy of sex is Alan Soble. He explains that the many of the topics discussed within the philosophy of sex are related to two fundamental human desires and actions. Firstly, these sexual ideas appeal to the human desires and actions involving the search for and attainment of sexual pleasure and satisfaction. Secondly, these sexual ideas appeal to the human desires and actions involving the creation of new human life. “For it is a natural feature of human beings that certain sorts of behaviors and certain bodily organs are and can be employed either for pleasure or for reproduction, or for both” (Soble, 2009). Soble further breaks down the philosophy of sex into ideas explored conceptually and ideas explored normatively. That is to say, looking at the philosophy of sex conceptually seeks to clarify the fundamental notions of sexual desire and activity. As Soble puts it, “What are the distinctive features of a desire that make it sexual desire instead of something else?” (Soble, 2009). Looking at the philosophy of sex normatively seeks to find the value of sexual activity and pleasure. Normative sexual philosophy considers moral obligations that one has to refrain from certain sexual activities and what moral authorizations we have to engage in others. This notion leads into what role sexual desire plays within the philosophy of sex. ** The Role of Sexual Desire in the Philosophy of Sex  ** What is sexual desire? Sexual desire has been a slightly difficult concept to accurately define in philosophical history and is viewed differently by different philosophers. Alan H. Goldman said, “sexual desire is desire for contact with another person’s body and for the pleasure such contact produces” (Shaffer, 1978). Shaffer argues that for obvious reasons, this explanation is inadequate. Bodily contact can occur and produce pleasure but not be linked to sexual desire at all, such as a parent and child hugging. Instead, Shaffer sets up a scenario seeing one individual as having sexual desire and the other as being the object of that desire. Shaffer (1978) arrived at the conclusion that sexual desire it is most like hunger. Shaffer’s theories bring to light a new idea within sexual desire and that is the idea of human association. According to Henry Wright (1920), “the basis of community is communication.” Wright offers another way to think about sexual desire, believing that through the use of sexual and parental instincts to establish and maintain the family, another field is created for personal association. “Here the community is to a greater extent one of feeling; it is mutually recognized satisfaction which each of the two participants feel in the other’s appearance and characteristics that distinguishes conjugal love from mere sex attraction” (Wright, 1920). Another way of thinking about sexuality in one that is more inward. Sexuality can have an essential bodily dimension and can be described as the “incarnation” or “submersion” of an individual into their body. The end result of this desire is interpersonal communication (Solomon, 1974). ** The Idea of Consent ** The idea of consent (a fundamental issue in the philosophy of sex’s relation to sexual communication) and its relation to the philosophy of sex can be broken down into two distinct statements. The first statement being that consent is insufficient, and the second being that consent is sufficient. In either case, the idea of consent relies heavily on determining whether the sexual act was, or could be, considered morally permissible. Also for either case, consider two individuals voluntarily engaging in a sexual act, with their own free and informed consent, with no harm done to third parties. The first school of thought would say that consent is not sufficient in the case presented above. Those adhering to the Natural Law tradition would say t his consent is insufficient because voluntarily engaging in unnatural sexual acts is morally impermissible (Sable, 2009). However, individuals adhering to the Natural Law tradition are not alone in this school of thought. A moral paternalist or perfectionist would claim that, since sexual activity could be harmful to one individual or both, free and informed consent would be insufficient because it is morally wrong for a person to harm another person (Sable, 2009). For other philosophers, free and informed consent is only one necessary condition for the morality of sexual activity, claiming that there must also be conditions such as love and marriage. Without such additional conditions, the sexual act could be seen as the using of the other individual or the objectification of the other individual, which an either case is morally unacceptable (Sable, 2009). On the other hand, other philosophers believe that so long as there is free and informed consent by all individuals involved, and that no third parties were harmed in the sexual act, then the sexual act is morally acceptable. Through one’s recognition of respect for their sexual partner and that their partner has the ability to reason and make choices, there can be no moral objection to casual sexual activity or promiscuity as long as those involved genuinely agree to engage in their chosen sexual activities (Sable, 2009). ** References  ** Solomon, Robert C. (1974). Sexual Paradigms. // The Journal of Philosophy, 71 //(11), 336-345. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2024875 Wright, Henry W. (1920). The Basis of Human Association. // The Journal of // // Philosophy, 17 // (16), 421-430. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2940436 Shaffer, Jerome A. (1978). Sexual Desire. // The Journal of Philosophy, 75 //(4), 175-189. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2025657 Soble, Alan. (2009). // Philosophy of Sexuality. //Retrieved from Internet Encyclopedia of    Philosophy: http://www.iep.utm.edu/sexualit/ Reeve, C. D. C. (2011). // Plato on Friendship and Ecros. // Retrieved from Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2011 Edition): http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2011/entries/plato-friendship/ [Image of couple in embrace]. (n.d.). [Still image]. Retrieved from http://doctoradvice.org/low-libido-in-female.html