Philosophy of sex is an aspect of applied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

involved with the study of sex and

love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

. It includes both

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...

of phenomena such as

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fr ...

sexual identity Sexual identity is how one thinks of oneself in terms of to whom one is romantically and/or sexually attracted.
''Se ...

, the

age of consent The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is unable to legally cla ...

homosexuality Homosexuality is Romance (love), romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romant ...

, and conceptual analysis of more universal questions such as "what is sex?" It also includes matters of sexuality and sexual identity and the

ontological In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality. Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exi ...

status of

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most culture ...

. Leading contemporary philosophers of sex include

Alan Soble Alan Gerald Soble (; born 1947) is an American philosopher and author of several books on the philosophy of sex. He taught at the University of New Orleans from 1986 to 2006. He is currently Adjunct Professor of philosophy at Drexel University in ...

Judith Butler Judith Pamela Butler (born February 24, 1956) is an American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory. In 1993, Butler b ...

, and

Raja Halwani Raja Fouad Halwani (born 1967) is an American-Lebanese philosopher and professor of philosophy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is known for his works on philosophy of sex. Philosophy Halwani does not fully recall how he came ...

. Contemporary philosophy of sex is sometimes informed by Western

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. Issues raised by feminists regarding gender differences, sexual politics, and the nature of sexual identity are important questions in the philosophy of sex. *What is the function of sex? *What is

romantic love Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a strong attraction towards another person, and the courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emotions. The ''Wiley Blackwell Encyc ...

? *Is there an essential characteristic that makes an act sexual? *Are some sexual acts good and others bad? According to what criteria? Alternatively, can consensual sexual acts be immoral, or are they outside the realm of ethics? *What is the relationship between sex and biological reproduction? Can one exist without the other? *Are sexual identities rooted in some fundamental ontological difference (such as biology)? *Is sexuality a function of gender or biological sex?

History of the philosophy of sex

Throughout much of the history of Western philosophy, questions of sex and sexuality have been considered only within the general subject of ethics. There have, however, been deviations from this pattern out of which emerge a tradition of speaking of sexual issues in their own right. The ''Society for the Philosophy of Sex and Love'' is a professional group within the membership of the

American Philosophical Association The American Philosophical Association (APA) is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarl ...

Sexual desire

Moral evaluations of sexual activity are determined by judgments on the nature of the sexual impulse. In this light, philosophies fall into two camps: A negative understanding of sexuality, such as from

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...

, believes that sexuality undermines values, and challenges our moral treatment of other persons. Sex, says Kant, "makes of the loved person an Object of appetite". In this understanding, sex is often advised only for the purpose of procreation. Sometimes sexual celibacy is considered to lead to the best, or most moral life. A positive understanding of sexuality – such as from Russell Vannoy,

Irving Singer Irving Singer (December 24, 1925 – February 1, 2015) was an American professor of philosophy who was on the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 55 years and wrote over 20 books. He was the author of books on various ...

– sees sexual activity as pleasing the self and the other at the same time.

Putative perversions

Thomas Nagel Thomas Nagel (; born July 4, 1937) is an American philosopher. He is the University Professor of Philosophy and Law Emeritus at New York University, where he taught from 1980 to 2016. His main areas of philosophical interest are legal philosophy, ...

proposes that only sexual interactions with mutual

sexual arousal Sexual arousal (also known as sexual excitement) describes the physiological and psychological responses in preparation for sexual intercourse or when exposed to sexual stimuli. A number of physiological responses occur in the body and mind a ...

are natural to human sexuality. Perverted sexual encounters or events would be those in which this reciprocal arousal is absent, and in which a person remains fully a subject of the sexual experience or fully an object.Nagel's "Sexual Perversion," pp. 15-17.

Consent

References

, St. (Aurelius). ''On Marriage and Concupiscence'', in ''The Works of Aurelius Augustine, Bishop of Hippo'', vol. 12, ed. Marcus Dods. Edinburgh, Scot.: T. & T. Clark, 1874. * Baker, Robert, Kathleen Wininger, and Frederick Elliston, eds. ''Philosophy and Sex'', 3rd edition. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus, 1998. * Baumrin, Bernard. "Sexual Immorality Delineated," in Robert Baker and Frederick Elliston, eds., ''Philosophy and Sex'', 2nd edition. Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus, 1984, pp. 300–11. * Bloom, Allan. ''Love and Friendship''. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993. * Buckley Jr., William F.,

Camille Paglia Camille Anna Paglia (; born April 2, 1947) is an American feminist academic and social critic. Paglia has been a professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1984. She is critical of many aspects of modern cultu ...

Betty Friedan Betty Friedan ( February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) was an American feminist writer and activist. A leading figure in the women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book '' The Feminine Mystique'' is often credited with sparking the se ...

Arianna Huffington Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington (née Ariadnē-Anna Stasinopoúlou, el, Αριάδνη-Άννα Στασινοπούλου ; born July 15, 1950) is a Greek-American author, syndicated columnist and businesswoman. She is a co-founder of '' Th ...

Michael Kinsley Michael E. Kinsley (born March 9, 1951) is an American political journalist and commentator. Primarily active in print media as both a writer and editor, he also became known to television audiences as a co-host on ''Crossfire''. Early life and e ...

, et al., "Has the Women's Movement Been Disastrous?: A Firing Line Debate," in Sterling Harwood, ed., ''Business as Ethical and Business as Usual'' (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1996). * * * Christensen, F. M., "A Defense of Pornography," in Sterling Harwood, ed., ''Business as Ethical and Business as Usual'' (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1996). * Christina, Greta. "Are We Having Sex Now or What?" in Alan Soble, ed., ''The Philosophy of Sex'', 3rd edition. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1997, pp. 3–8. * Finnis, John. "Law, Morality, and 'Sexual Orientation'," ''Notre Dame Law Review'' 69:5 (1994), pp. 1049–76. * Finnis, John and

Martha Nussbaum Martha Craven Nussbaum (; born May 6, 1947) is an American philosopher and the current Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, where she is jointly appointed in the law school and the philosop ...

. "Is Homosexual Conduct Wrong? A Philosophical Exchange," in Alan Soble, ed., ''The Philosophy of Sex'', 3rd edition. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1997, pp. 89–94. * Foucault, Michel. ''The History of Sexuality. Vols. 1-3''. New York: Vintage, 1990. (Original French publications of the three volumes in 1978, 1984, and 1984, respectively) * Gray, Robert. "Sex and Sexual Perversion," in Alan Soble, ed., ''The Philosophy of Sex'', 3rd edition. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1997, pp. 57–66. * Grisez, Germain. ''The Way of the Lord Jesus''. Quincy, Ill.: Franciscan Press, 1993. * Gudorf, Christine. ''Body, Sex, and Pleasure: Reconstructing Christian Sexual Ethics''. Cleveland, Ohio: Pilgrim Press, 1994. * Hampton, Jean. "Defining Wrong and Defining Rape," in Keith Burgess-Jackson, ed., ''A Most Detestable Crime: New Philosophical Essays on Rape''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999, pp. 118–56. * Held, Virginia. "Coercion and Coercive Offers," in J. Roland Pennock and John W. Chapman, eds., ''Coercion: Nomos VIX''. Chicago, Ill.: Aldine, 1972, pp. 49–62. * Jung, Patricia, and Ralph Smith. ''Heterosexism: An Ethical Challenge''. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1993. *

Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aest ...

, Immanuel. ''Lectures on Ethics''. Translated by Louis Infield. New York: Harper and Row, 1963. * Kant, Immanuel. ''The Metaphysics of Morals''. Translated by Mary Gregor. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge University Press, 1996. * Lacan, Jacques. ''The Seminar of Jacques Lacan: On Feminine Sexuality, The Limits of Love and Knowledge, Book XX, Encore, 1972–1973'', ed. Jacques-Alain Miller, trans. Bruce Fink (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1998). *

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...

''The Four Loves''. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1960. * MacKinnon, Catherine A., "The Money of Playboy Magazine," in Sterling Harwood, ed., ''Business as Ethical and Business as Usual'' (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1996). * Mappes, Thomas. "Sexual Morality and the Concept of Using Another Person," in Thomas Mappes and Jane Zembaty, eds., ''Social Ethics'', 4th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992, pp. 203–26. * Mayo, David. "An Obligation to Warn of HIV Infection?" in Alan Soble, ed., ''Sex, Love and Friendship''. Amsterdam. Hol.: Editions Rodopi, 1997, pp. 447–53. * McEvoy, Adrianne Leigh, Ed. ''Sex, Love, and Friendship. Studies of the Society for the Philosophy of Sex and Love: 1993-2003''. Amsterdam/New York, NY, Rodopi, 2011. * Muehlenhard, Charlene, and Jennifer Schrag. "Nonviolent Sexual Coercion," in A. Parrot and L. Bechhofer, eds, ''Acquaintance Rape. The Hidden Crime''. New York: John Wiley, 1991, pp. 115–28. * Murphy, Jeffrie. "Some Ruminations on Women, Violence, and the Criminal Law," in Jules Coleman and Allen Buchanan, eds., ''In Harm's Way: Essays in Honor of Joel Feinberg''. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge University Press, 1994, pp. 209–30. * Nagel, Thomas. "Sexual Perversion," in Alan Soble, ed., ''The Philosophy of Sex'', 3rd edition. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1997, pp. 9–20. * Nielson-Jones, Oliver. "Sex, Escaping The Rat Race" In G.Bennett and A.Robinson, eds., ''Sexual Philosophy'', 2006, pp. 7–29 * O'Neill, Onora. "Between Consenting Adults," ''Philosophy and Public Affairs'' 14:3 (1985), pp. 252–77. *

Mario Perniola Mario Perniola (20 May 1941 – 9 January 2018) was an Italian philosopher, professor of aesthetics and author. Many of his works have been published in English. Biography Mario Perniola was born in Asti, Piedmont. He studied philosophy under Luig ...

. ''The Sex Appeal of the Inorganic'', Continuum, New York-London (2004), . *

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

. ''Symposium''. Translated by Michael Joyce, in E. Hamilton and H. Cairns, eds., ''The Collected Dialogues of Plato''. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1961, pp. 526–74. * Posner, Richard. ''Sex and Reason''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1992. * Primoratz, Igor. ''Ethics and Sex''. London ; New York : Routledge, 1999. * Sanders, Stephanie, and June Reinisch. "Would You Say You 'Had Sex' If . . . ?" ''Journal of the American Medical Association'' 281:3 (January 20, 1999), pp. 275–77. * Scheer, Robert, "Bigger Breasts: The Great Implant Lie," in Sterling Harwood, ed., ''Business as Ethical and Business as Usual'' (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1996). *

Roger Scruton Sir Roger Vernon Scruton (; 27 February 194412 January 2020) was an English philosopher and writer who specialised in aesthetics and political philosophy, particularly in the furtherance of traditionalist conservative views. Editor from 1982 ...

. ''Sexual Desire: A Moral Philosophy of the Erotic''. New York: Free Press, 1986. * Singer, Irving. ''The Nature of Love, vol. 2: Courtly and Romantic''. Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, 1984. * Soble, Alan. "Antioch's 'Sexual Offense Policy': A Philosophical Exploration," ''Journal of Social Philosophy'' 28:1 (1997), pp. 22–36. * Soble, Alan. ''The Philosophy of Sex and Love: An Introduction''. St. Paul, Minn.: Paragon House, 1998. Second revised, expanded edition, 2008. * Soble, Alan. ''Sexual Investigations''. New York: New York University Press,1996. * Soble, Alan, ed. ''Eros, Agape and Philia''. New York: Paragon House, 1989. Corrected reprint, 1999. * Soble, Alan, ed. ''The Philosophy of Sex'', 4th edition. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2002; revised 5th edition, 2008 (excellent bibliography covering the whole area phil sex). * Soble, Alan, ed. ''Sex, Love, and Friendship''. Amsterdam, Hol.: Editions Rodopi, 1996. * Solomon, Robert, and Kathleen Higgins, eds. ''The Philosophy of (Erotic) Love''. Lawrence. Kan.: University Press of Kansas, 1991. * Stewart, Robert M., ed. ''Philosophical Perspectives on Sex and Love''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. * Vannoy, Russell. ''Sex Without Love: A Philosophical Exploration''. Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus, 1980. * Verene, Donald, ed. ''Sexual Love and Western Morality'', 2nd edition. Boston, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett, 1995. * Wertheimer, Alan. "Consent and Sexual Relations," ''Legal Theory'' 2:2 (1996), pp. 89–112. *

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

Love and Responsibility ''Love and Responsibility'' is a book written by Karol Wojtyła before he became Pope John Paul II and was originally published in Polish in 1960 and in English in 1981. Wojtyła, Karol. ''Love and Responsibility'': 1981 A new translation was pu ...

. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1981.

External links

Internet encyclopedia of philosophy: philosophy of sex (also by Soble)Society for the Philosophy of Sex and Love
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philosophy Of Sex Social philosophy