According to Goldman, sexual desire is the desire a person has for another person’s body and, desire for the pleasure obtained. Sexual activity is the action that fulfills the desire of the person. It is the desire for another’s body and pleasure brought by physical contact. That desire cannot be detached from its fundamental context. This implies that sexual desire or activity is not what is caused by the contact but the physical contact itself. Sex can be defined as an expression of “romantic” love between partners. In addition, sex communicates other emotions besides love or can communicate nothing and still be termed as sex. The desire can be said to be physical-psychological between two individuals with a deep emotional relationship. A normal person cannot have this desire with so many individuals and for those who claim they do, the love they give is very weak. Sexual desire does not involve just the desire for a conversation but, real sexual contact (1-6). For Neera, sex reveals most truths concerning individuals showing their fears and, deepest desires of their partners and themselves (Neera par. 1).
Thus, monogamous sex requires self-control and it is difficult to control monogamous love. Naturally, love is not monogamous and sex strengthens families and, restricts the sexual desire of a couple for other people. To some extent, the freedom of women has been curtailed and some tend to use it as a weapon. Love is accompanied by a sexual desire, which is both physical and psychological. According to Nagel, sex takes place when two people are aroused by one another and the sexual relationship becomes a form of personal communication of feelings. Sex does not imply communication or a series of gestures but pleasurable physical activity. Sex cannot account for caressing, holding hands, and kissing. Plain physical sex is vulgar and non-sensation sexual encounters should be avoided (pp. 1-2). Many view the possibility of reproduction as a threat and sexual desires are based on physical beauty ignoring the reproduction capability (Raymond and Christopher 180).
Goldman argues that there is no morality aspect of sex and sexual ethic is similar to any other form of ethics. This implies has unless governed by the rules that apply somewhere else, nothing is immoral in sex. Nevertheless, manipulation of victims without their interest is sexual misconduct and it leads to the violation of the moral rule. These include rape and molestation of minors or naïve people. For him, masturbation is the desire for pleasure and no physical contact with another person’s body. It is a desire that is unrealized and since another body is not available, masturbation becomes a substitute.
According to Scruton, sexual desire is an interpersonal attitude of the involved parties. The Aristotelian strategy wants an individual’s life to be ignored, and focus on the human features that are permanent. Erotic love generates an irreplaceable value between the partners and an element of self-enhancement. Love is a valuable glance and might lead to a man’s failure. It draws anxiety and doubt in the flesh that is not optional. For one to receive erotic love, one must be able to love back. Not every love affair is happy and love can be the cause of downfall. The fulfillment of a desire is love and it is prone to jealousy. Therefore, love calls for fidelity that is normal and natural and, it can be broken easily due to tempting desires. The traditional oral sex must be held though; acts like polygamy are acceptable only in certain societies. However, no society advocates for infidelity or promiscuity.
Traditional sex education refers to one’s body as sacred and it should not be misused or misinterpreted. This calls for sexual purity and it does not forbid desire. Thus, the most important aspect of sexual morality is not the attitude to the partner but one’s body. Lust is a genuine desire unlike the traditional condemnations (Scruton 5-7). Individuals still need to realize that families rely on marriage and children still need families. Marital love should be free of jealousy and sexual fidelity maintained. Married couples should commit their lives to one another and, personal ties and erotic love kept between themselves only (Scruton par. 1-2). Those who engage in masturbation get fantasy through self-regarding pleasure. This fantasy is closely related to prostitution and this makes sex be seen as a commodity that can be obtained in a quantifiable form. Masturbation is caused by obscene scenes and pornography and it is a direct assault on personal desire.
Goldman does not rule out homosexuality directly since, he argues that if an act is acceptable, then it is moral. If the desire or activity itself is acceptable according to the rule of sexual conduct, then it is acceptable. Sexual desire involves two characters since physical contact with another body must be present. Thus, his stand is not clear whether the sexual activity should be between a man and a woman or just between two individuals. However, Goldman rules out extreme sexual behavior like rape and molestation. To him, this is unacceptable because the other party must be willing to participate in the act. This is sexual promiscuity if the other party is not interested, or is not having the desire for the activity. Prostitution is also promiscuity since an individual engages in it for commercial reasons rather than for the fulfillment of a desire. Therefore, for Goldman, the sexual desire between two persons and, involving physical contact is acceptable as long as it is in the interest of both parties. Though according to Igor, the traditional restrictions on prostitution, homosexuality, masturbation, and promiscuity are fading with time (159).
On the other hand, Scruton disagrees with homosexuality and hence, terms it as sexual promiscuity. He argues that since homosexuals bear no children, they involve in sexual activity whenever desired without any restrain. This is because they have no interest in the future or society’s future. Education on sexuality should be given to children by either professional educators or their parents so that they understand the importance of sexual activity (Martin 1-2). There have emerged campaigns for the provision of sexual education in schools. This has called for discussions for sexual and social hygiene, sexual programs in public schools, issuing of venereal literature by governments and professional organizations related to sexuality (Kenneth and Caroline 1)…However, Scruton contradicts himself because as much as he insists on human-human relationships, he does not specify the male-female relationships. Therefore, some would interpret it that human-human could mean male-male or female-female relationships. Some parents may object to their children being taught on sexuality matters by homosexual individuals. They could also oppose their reading of articles by gay or lesbian writers. However, parents do not have independent rights regarding their children’s education. Mostly, their responsibility is ensuring that the curriculum offered by the school is positively influencing the student’s well-being (Patricia 398).
Sexual desire should not just be the desire of sexual organs only but the desire of the whole person. In addition, the desire should not only be revealed by actions but also, by the reactions such as smiling, blushing, or lovely glances. It is only natural when the arousal is human to human something that not even science can explain. Sexual action has prohibitions such that the desire only arises when the two people have a common agreement and aim. The traditional vows which were female-male should be maintained and this stand is in line with Scruton’s argument (Laura par. 1-3). I support Scruton’s view of sexual morality because he discourages homosexuality. If the sexual relationship is for recreation purposes, then it should be male-female so that the continuity of the society is ensured. Children need families and, the love and affection of their parents thus, the family ties need to be tightened to ensure that there is generation continuity.
However, same-sex civil marriage became constitutionally acceptable in 1993 in the Hawaii Supreme Court decision. Some other states viewed it as acceptable while others prohibited same-sex marriage (Paul par. 1). Therefore, sexuality tends to be perceived according to society’s values and believes. In addition, some will describe it regarding their religious and cultural practices. Thus, the idea of sex will always vary from one community to another.
Works Cited
Alan, Goldman. “Plain Sex.” Philosophy and Public Affairs 6. 3, (1977):1-22.
Igor, Primoratz. “What’s Wrong with Prostitution?” Philosophy 68.264 (1993):159.
Kenneth and Caroline. “Sex Education from 1900 to 1920: A Study of Ideological Social Control.” Sex Education 3. 3 (1980): 1.
Laura. Roger Scruton on Sex, 2006. Web.
Martin Stafford. “Two minds of Roger Scruton.” Studies in Philosophy and Education 11. 2(2004): 1-2.
Neera K. Carnal wisdom and sexual virtue, 2009. Web.
Patricia White. “Parents’ Rights, Homosexuality and Education.” British Journal of Educational Studies 39. 4 (1991): 398.
Paul, Axel-Lute. Same-sex marriage, 2009. Web.
Raymond and Christopher. A Companion to Applied Ethics. UK: Blackwell, 2003.
Roger, Scruton. The moral birds and the bees: Sex and marriage properly understood. 2006. Web.
Thomas Nagel. “Sexual Perversion.” The Journal of Philosophy 66. 1 (1969):1-2.