Philosophizing About Sex

Laurie J. Shrage is Professor of Philosophy and of Women’s and Gender Studies at Florida International University. Robert Scott Stewart is Professor of Philosophy at Cape Breton University.

Preface

Chapter 1 Defining Sex

What Is a Sexual Act?
How Many People Does It Take to Have Sex?
Is Cybersex Genuine Sex?
Does Sex Have a Purpose?

Chapter 2 Sexual Attraction

Do Opposites Attract?
How Are a Person’s Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Related?
Are We Born Gay or Straight?

Chapter 3 Sexual Objectification and Autonomy

Is It Wrong to Sexually Objectify Someone?
Is Consent a Sufficient Condition for Moral Sex?
Is It Wrong to Pay, or Be Paid, for Sex?
What Does It Mean to Have Sexual Autonomy?
What Is the Connection between “Exoticizing” and “Eroticizing” Someone?

Chapter 4 Sex and Violence

Are Laws Prohibiting Sexual Offenses Effective and Just?
Why Do Some Governments Take Steps to Eradicate Sexual Harassment?
Are Sexual Assaults More Injurious than Other Kinds of Assaults?
Is Cyber-rape a Form of Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, or Offensive Speech?
Is Rape a Byproduct or a Weapon of War?
Is Manipulative Sexual Seduction Fair Play?

Chapter 5 Sexual Perversion and Sodomy Laws

How Do We Distinguish “Normal,” Weird, Unnatural, Perverted, and Harmful Sex?
Should There Be Laws against Sodomy?
Is Perverse Sex Morally Bad?
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Solitary Sex?

Chapter 6 Sex and Marriage

Must Marital Partners Be Sexual Partners?
Who Should Be Allowed to Marry?
Should Adulterers Be Subject to Criminal or Civil Penalties?
Does Arranged Marriage Violate Sexual Autonomy?
Is Virginity Valuable in a Potential Spouse?

Chapter 7 Sex and Children

What Should Children and Adolescents Be Taught about Sex?
Who Should Provide Sex Education: Parents, Schools, or Health-care Providers?
Do Public Sex-education Programs Serve the Public Good?
Is Sex Always Harmful for Children?

Chapter 8 Sexual Speech and the Freedom of Expression

How Is Child Pornography Harmful?
Are Child and Adult Pornography Significantly Different?
Are Stripping and Lap-dancing Art Forms, and Should They Be Protected Forms of Self-expression?
Why Does the Topic of Sex Make Us Laugh?
Does Sexual Speech in a Workplace Generally Involve Sexual Harassment?

Chapter 9 Sexual Privacy

Why Is Sexual Privacy Important?
Is It Wrong to Force Someone “Out of the Closet”?
When Does “Sexting” Violate a Person’s Privacy?
How Should Violations of Sexual Privacy Be Treated and Punished?

Chapter 10 Sex and Responsibility

What Should We Be Required to Disclose about Ourselves to Our Sexual Partners before Engaging in Sex?
Can Sex or Porn Be Addictive?
Should Fatherhood Be a Choice?
Are We Responsible for the Fetuses We Unintentionally Create?
Do Committed Relationships Entail Special Moral and Sexual Duties?

Chapter 11 The Scientific and Medical Study of Sex

Can Sex Be Studied Scientifically?
Is Sexology a Science?
Why Does the Female Orgasm Puzzle Scientists?
What Are the Criteria of Sexual Dysfunction and When Is Medical Intervention Appropriate?

Chapter 12 Sex and the Limits of Tolerance in Secular Democratic Societies

Should We Care about the Sexual Improprieties of Our Political Leaders?
Should Genital Cutting Practices Be Tolerated?
Should BDSM Be Restricted?

Index