Introduction
According to Immanuel Kant one’s sexual desires can threaten his or hers basic coherent nature. He specifically thinks that certain sexual practices, including homosexuality, can lessen our respect for not only we but also for others and it go against the basic ethical principles, which every human being should follow. Homosexuality, according to him, goes against a person’s duty and is inconsistent with our moral requirements. He believed that ethically a human being, especially a homosexual, “must never treat another person merely as a means, but always as an end” (Kant, 285).
Discussion 1
Kant says that although human beings do not enjoy another person’s flesh some are inclined towards others and through sexual impulse can sometimes make another human an “object of indulgence”. He says that when a man loves another person it is because he has an inclination towards the other person. However, if love is only due to sexual impulse then it cannot be considered as love, rather it only remains the appetite of that particular person. Kant also opposes to homosexuality since he feels that when a human being is inclined towards his or her own kind then he or she will tend to move away from humanity. In doing so, an individual sacrifices his or her humanity and thus, runs a moral risk in doing so. Kant says that homosexuality is not merely an inclination, which a human feels towards another, but it is the preference for another person’s sexuality. This, to him, is among the principles, which degrades human nature totally. When the question of inclination towards ones own sex comes into being, Kant feels that it leads to the dishonoring of sex, as satisfaction come into play. Human nature becomes subdued since due to homosexuality a person’s sex becomes the object of another’s desire. This to him is disgraceful. Kant says that this makes humanity merely an instrument, which is used for satisfying a person’s inclinations and lust.
He describes homosexuality to be the exploitation of sexuality that contradicts our natural instinct and nature itself and says it is a crimen carnis contra naturam (Gold, 117). He says that in an intercourse among the same sexes or sexus homogenii (Gold, 118), the human being becomes an object of sexual impulse and thus, it ends humanity. He says that by practicing homosexuality we tend to move towards the end of our humanity. Homosexuality does not preserve our species, which should be the basic reason for sexuality. A homosexual person does not help to maintain human kind but, rather dishonors it and thus, demeans oneself even below the level of an animal. Thus, Immanuel Kant says that homosexuality is so corrupting that it brings us to the point where human beings are considered equal to beasts.
Discussion 2
Immanuel Kant further emphasizes on his philosophy by saying that homosexuality takes place against our basic instincts not only degrading human nature but also making a person completely unworthy of his species and thus, basic humanity. A homosexual should no longed be addressed as a person since they do not deserve to be one. An individual has certain duties towards himself, which they must fulfill in their lifetime, but by becoming a homosexual, he or she becomes completely disgraceful and demeans oneself to the lowermost point possible. He says that homosexuality is even more dishonorable than suicide which is the most dreadful of all things but not as shameful as homosexuality. Finally, Kant says that homosexuality is a vice which human beings should be ashamed of since only they are capable of indulging themselves in such disrespectful acts.
Discussion 3
Immanuel Kant intently discouraged homosexuality since in his era it was not something people respected a lot. Thus, his theories sometimes do not fit with our progressive views on homosexuality due to the difference of time and era. Thus, the views he has on homosexuality are all right, considering his time. He puts homosexuality at par with prostitution and even suicide which today is not so but is only an individual’s sexual preference. Kant’s perspectives about homosexuals are very extreme. He says that homosexuals are not to be considered people at all. However, in today’s world this kind of a view has no place.
Homosexuals are also humans and there is nothing degrading about being one. They also deserve all the comforts and rights, which a heterogeneous person gets. In addition, morality is not absolute. Whether a person is homosexual or not does not affect his or her morality. As homosexuality is present in reality, it must be somewhat natural too. Kant says that homosexuality is wrong and demeans a person but it is not so. Although some people may consider homosexuality unnatural as it goes against the ways of nature but it is not unhealthy or wrong. A homosexual person does not commit a crime in being the way he or she is.
According to Immanuel Kant, acts of homosexuality are completely unnatural. However, this opinion of his is a bit too radical. It is a fact that homosexuality may be bad for society since if every person became a homosexual then there will not be a properly functioning society at all and thus, society would collapse. However, that does not mean that we label homosexuality as wrong and unnatural. His views were very extreme as he considered homosexuals to be even below animals. He had the opinion that humans should treat each other’s respectfully and not just merely as means but also as ends. This is where a flaw lies in Kant’s approach. When homosexual people fall in love with their respective partners, it is not always out of sexual desire but because of love, too. Thus, they love their partners and treat them as ends rather than as means. This is where his theories fail to apply.
Conclusion
Immanuel Kant considered homosexuality to be a crime against nature. He says that homosexuality is immoral since it makes a person go against his or her moral duty. He had the opinion that his morality should be able to hold on to the contempt he had towards homosexuality. He thinks that a homosexual person does not respect others and thus, uses everyone merely as a means rather than as ends. Immanuel Kant said that homosexuality is completely and universally wrong since it violates humanity ending it with respect to a person’s sexuality, which actually preserves our human species without adulterating an individual. He also had the opinion that a person who is homosexual is completely degraded and thus, should be considered even below the level of an animal. (Kirkendall and Gravatt, 58-9)
Works Cited
Gold, Steven. Moral controversies: race, class, and gender in applied ethics. London: Wadsworth Pub. Co., 1992.
Kant, E. “Love and Sex”. Morality and moral controversies: readings in moral, social, and political philosophy. Ed. John Arthur and Steven Scalet. London: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. 285-290.
Kirkendall, Lester, and Arthur E. Gravatt. Marriage and the family in the year 2020. Oxford: Prometheus Books, 1984.