The following is what I came up with in the 10 minutes we had:
1. Soble, A. “The Fundamentals of the Philosophy of Sex”
• Speaks of the conceptual vs. Normative analysis of sex
• Conceptual = definition
• Normative = perennial questions of sexual morality
• Moral vs. Non moral evaluations.
2. Goldman “Plain Sex”
• “Means end analysis”
• Simple analysis = sexual desire is desire for contact with another person’s body and for the pleasure which such contact produces; sexual activity fills desire.
3. Jackson, S. And S. Scott “Sexual Antinomies in late Modernity”
• Many paradoxes exist in today’s society even thought it is becoming more and more liberal
4. Freeman “The Historical Construction of Homosexuality”
• Homosexuality as a term and identity is a recent construction (same sex love).
• “social construction”: every society creates or constructs a set of sexual ideals, rules, and possibilities that determine how individual sexual practices may be names and interpreted. Social constructs change over time.
• Movement from a procreative to pleasure focus.
• Concepts emerge in particular environments (time/place) i.e. colonialism, industrialization etc.
• What is homosexual and what is not is based a lot on popular media.
5. Sommerville “Scientific Racism and the Invention of the Homosexual Body”
• Homosexuality parallels racism.
• Concept of “homosexual” or “heterosexual” emerged at the same time that the US was policing the imaginary boundary between black and white.
• Society creates rules of homosexuality i.e. World War II created many possibilities for homosexuals to come out.
6. Katz “The Debut of the Heterosexual”
• With it’s debut, heterosexuality was not equated with normal sex
• Changing ideas about heterosexuality.
Many of the themes that we have discussed in class overlap. It is hard for us to come up with definitions on how to define sex and sexual desire. It’s also hard to decipher what is natural and unnatural, as it varies by what each individual person thinks. I noticed a lot of religion themed overlap in our course, i.e. sex is for procreation and it is natural and “right”. Some sexual things are considered normal and abnormal...but what defines this? There are themes of gender differences and how that influences how we view certain practices. There are themes of homosexuality and heterosexuality in past and how differentiated/understood in different contexts. I have noticed that pleasure tends to be a key for many definitions i.e. whether directed at oneself or another. There is this theme of sexual perfection that keeps recurring. There has also been recurring theme of technological advancements and sex i.e. sex robots and cosmic surgery. Overall, it is clear that sex and sexual ethics are connected to many things. This makes it even harder for me to really conceptualize what I think sexual ethics is.
Tracy provided us with a diagram by "Our Whole Lives, Sex Education" in which she explained that sexual ethics seems to fit in the center of all of the overlapping themes. I am beginning to share the same view that perhaps there is not one definition or theme of sexual ethics, it is more of a broader concept, which incorporates many things in our lives.
After the previous activities, we wrote how we defined sexual ethics. I defined it as “respecting the partners you are sexually intimate with. What you believe is ethical is you own opinion and it is not to be imposed on others. If you chose to do something that may be considered a deviations from the norm it is ok as long as the other person shares the same view and gives consent. I will always consider rape, sexual abuse, harassment, and incest unethical!”
I highlighted the key concepts that we have explored so far in the term that help me to define sexual ethics.
Respecting: I think sexual ethics has a lot to do with respect of another person. Hopefully with respect, the other person will not be in any physical or psychological danger. With respect, partners treat each other with love and fairness. Without respect, it leaves lots of room for harm to either or both partners involved.
Belief/Own opinion: I think a lot of what people consider to be ethical sexually is based on their own beliefs and opinions. It depends on the individual and their culture/context they are surrounded by.
Deviations from the norm: Many of things that I consider unethical are things that deviate from the norm of my society. For example, rape is a large deviation from the norm in society, and I believe that it is unethical.
Consent: I think that sexual ethics is mainly related to consent, and whether or not there is consent between two partners. The consent must also be mutual, and both partners must be wanting to partake in the sexual activity for me to consider it ethical. I don't consider something ethical if one person consents only because they are pressured i.e. like in the movie Kids, the girls consent to sleep with Telly, but only after he pressures them into it. There must be absolutely no pressure involved.
Conceptualizing my sexual ethics
What has changed about your definition of sexual ethics?
I realized that everyone has their own ideas about what sexual ethics is and there is no concrete answer and probably never will be. It is important that people do not impose their views and opinions on others unless it is a criminal act, i.e. rape. Things will keep emerging as society changes and develops and new questions will be raised. These questions are important for my understanding of what is ethical but it will continuously be a struggle to conceptualize what is or isn’t ethical.
What would you change (add/take away) about your initial concept map?
I would add a section of the history of sexuality, e.g. heterosexuality and homosexuality because this knowledge really helps you understand and shape/form what you think is ethical regarding these issues. When I answered the question what does sexual ethics mean to me I said it is something that is socially “right”. I would change this because who decides what is socially right or wrong?
