In his chapter Plain Sex, author Alan Goldman analyzes what makes people want to have sex. There are various reasons people wish for physical contacts, such as the desire to reproduce, show their tender feelings, and satisfy their needs. The author also examines the moral and immoral reasons for which people engage in sexual contact. In addition, there is a perverted form of sex, which is not common, as it is often used by people with specific non-standard desires.
The desire to have sex is often dominated by love, which generates a desire to be closer and have physical contact. This is one of the most common reasons people engage in sexual relations. Goldman (2018) states that people are personalities who can be attracted by another person, and it is the manners of behavior and communication that can cause a mutual desire to have physical contact. Previously, sex was seen as a reproduction tool that allowed people to have children and engage in their upbringing. Now, physical relationships are seen as an element of the manifestation of love, and people engage in it for their pleasure.
There is an ethics of sex that regulates some situations concerning physical contact. As such, there is no set of rules or norms, but there are still moral norms established by society that people should consider. Such standards include a ban on child molestation, and the factor of obtaining pleasure, which forces one to deliver the same satisfaction to the partner, should also be excluded. People can manipulate other individuals for their benefit of themselves, which according to moral norms, should not be in society (Goldman, 2018). Having sex should be enjoyable or have a goal for both partners and not be a means to achieve the goals of only one of the people.
In conclusion, having sex is a relatively common type of people’s action concerning each other. It can express a desire to demonstrate tenderness and love for each other, can be used as a means to achieve reproductive goals, and so on. Even having sex can have unspoken norms that society must obey. It is necessary to treat this type of action ethically and with a partner so that sex does not become a means to achieve one’s own goals.
Reference
Goldman, A. (2018). From plain sex. In L.Vaughn (Ed.), Doing ethics: Moral reasoning, theory, and contemporary issues (pp. 548-557). W. W. Norton & Company.