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Sexual Behavior and Sexual Morality Essay

Pages:5 (1605 words)

Sources:5

Subject:Social Issues

Topic:Sexual Behavior

Document Type:Essay

Document:#69548980


Sexual Morality

Sexual morality is the exploration of sexual behavior in the light of moral consideration like what is morally right and wrong for sexual behavior, which can be applied to other areas as well (Primoratz, 2013). These are further founded through various philosophies being around this topic that is rooted like sex and what function it plays in the life of a human being (Primoratz, 2013). Philosophers have long argued and named sexual activities with different analogies, until Bertrand Russell and Sigmund Freud, who considered sex as morally righteous (Halwani, 2018).

The meta-ethics is the understanding of moral principles through deeply analyzing its origin and nature for reaching moral conclusions (McCord, 2012). It leads us to moral truths and the reasoning behind the moral judgments and conclusion for different areas of exploration (McCord, 2012). It delves into the deeper meaning of what morality is, in analyzing different philosophies (McCord, 2012). It also explores the motivation of human beings and other aspects to provide conclusive analogies on a semantic level (McCord, 2012). Sexual Morality explored through meta-ethics will lead to proper arguments for the understanding of sexual morality and its philosophies. It focuses on sexual morality from a metaphysical level to deeply analyze its nature, its origin, and its importance (Soble).

Metaphysical, sexual optimist philosophers have a very open-minded view of sexuality and consider that sexuality is a connecting act between individuals, making them happy and involve them in a natural bond (Soble). It exchanges pleasure as its benefits and makes both the involved parties happy (Soble). It is deemed to be generating affection and gratitude, which further deepens the relationship of these individuals, satisfying their desires and needs (Soble). Nagel's Secular philosophy is based upon analyzing what makes human beings different from animals in understanding sexual morality to understand its uniqueness (Soble). It analyzes the physiological and psychological understanding of sexual arousals as in these encounters to people are fully aware of each other's bodily presence, also providing analogies for pervert sexual arousals where it is encountered by only one person (Soble). This philosophy neither provides nor states the rights and wrongs, but through meta-ethics, analysis understands the deep foundations of sexual human behaviors (Soble). However, it contradicts the Aquinas's Natural Law rooted in a religious context whereby sexual activity has a purpose, which is procreation, apart from which all acts of sexual activity, including masturbation, is considered immoral (Soble).

Rooted in Metaphysical, sexual optimism, a liberal's view on sexual morality can also be taken, which focuses on individuality and matter of choices for sexuality, stating that only the sexual activity which is based on coercion, manipulation, and dishonesty is morally wrong. At the same time, all the other acts are natural and not immoral to satisfy sexual pleasure (Soble). Even Masturbation and Homosexuality is not considered immoral by the secular viewpoint, even though it might be unwise or unnatural for different philosophers to study. However, it still fundamentally harms no one in the process. Thus it is not immoral (Soble). For the liberalist's view, consent is enough for making the entire act moral as it corresponds with individual choices and autonomy, taking into account the other person's choice and basing the decision on rationality (Soble). It takes into account and individual's self-identity and his autonomous choices to explore his sexuality and indulge in consensual sexual behavior for satisfying his self and the other person in the process, having no problems and moral contradictions (Soble). Sexual desire doesn't have any other motivations other than that of satisfying itself at the very core,…

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…meta-physical sexual optimism and meta-physical sexual pessimism. There are two sets of arguments in which one focuses on a pessimist point of view challenging the optimist point view where different viewpoints contradict the concepts like infidelity and consent as the only source of analyzing sex as moral. There are different layers to these arguments leading to different conclusions inherently contradicting each other's notions. Meta-physical sexual optimism provides rationality behind the fears of pessimism through emphasizing that sexual activity and its pursuit is not inherently wrong and is not responsible for people acting perversely, manipulatively, and selfishly, which has more to do with other aspects of human nature.

In conclusion, meta-ethics is a fruitful base of analyzing a morality as it delves deeper into understanding its origin, like in the Nagel's Secular Theory to gain clarity on the moral judgments. For the Aquinas's Natural Law argument which poses a challenge to Nagel's Secular Theory can be countered by Christine Gudorf which analyzes that the presence of clitoris in females has no purpose of procreation and is simply for the sexual desire which shows that sexual activity is not designed only for creating a life (Soble). The emergence of different viewpoints as to how the sex is viewed and whether it objectifies the people for a sexual purpose, how it can be dangerous due to its impulse and most importantly does it inhibit a person's ability to think rationally in the moment of arousal, has created a wide perceptive arena to take insight from. There are so many other theories that pose a challenge to the optimist view, which doesn't necessarily mean that the optimist view is not a reasonable philosophy for sexual morality. Sexual morality, as understood by the optimist view, is a morally just and pursuable act that provides maximum…


Sample Source(s) Used

References

Goldman, A. H. (2019, February 12). Why Sexual Morality Doesn't Exist. iai News.

Haidt, J., & Hersh, M. A. (2001). Sexual Morality: The Cultures and Emotions of Conservatives and Liberals. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 191-221.

Halwani, R. (2018, October 19). Sex and Sexuality. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Haqiqatjou, D. (2005, September 17). Ashley Madison and the Problem of Liberal Sexual Ethics. Public Discourse.

McCord, G. S. (2012, January 26). Metaethics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Primoratz, I. (2001). Sexual Morality: Is Consent Enough? Ethical Theory and Moral Practise.

Primoratz, I. (2013, February 01). Sexual Morality. Wiley Online Library.

Soble, A. (n.d.). Philosophy of Sexuality. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

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