Sexual Investigations

A critically rigorous study of sexuality which doesn't sacrifice entertainment value in its presentations of sexuality's nature and the cultural and historical values which make it less of a universal than might be immediately supposed. Soble (philosophy, U. of New Orleans) exercises a sense of hum

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Pornography, abortion, rape, sexual discrimination: one merely has to open the newspaper or turn on the television to be confronted with sexual issues. In Sexual Investigations, Alan Soble contributes to the discussion by examining the moral, political, and analytical dimensions of sexuality that form the foundation for these discussions.

In Sexual Investigations, Soble takes a rigorous yet user-friendly look at a number of topics in the area of human sexuality: the nature of sexual activity, the ethics of sexual conduct, pornography, masturbation, sexual health, perversion, date rape, prostitution, contraception, reproduction, and both the beauty and the ugliness of the sexual body. What, Soble asks, defines healthy sexuality? How firm is the distinction between rape and consensual sex? How and when are sexually explicit films and photographs degrading to women?

This sweeping examination of the philosophical, ethical, and political issues surrounding human sexuality is as learned and thoughtful as it is entertaining.