Aquinas
According to those who study the morality of sexuality, St. Thomas Aquinas is one of history's most famous defenders of traditional sexuality. As a 13th century philosopher, his views on sexuality have come to be known as the natural law theory.
Keeping things very simple, the natural law theory argues that God designed sex to be between a man and a woman. Speaking biologically, the penis is naturally designed to impregnate a woman, and the woman's anatomy is naturally designed to accept this impregnation. In short, God designed our sexual organs to procreate; therefore, any sexual activity that can't lead to procreation is immoral.
Aquinas also held to the belief that sex is meant for the marriage bed alone. After all, keeping sex within the confines of marriage is the only way to make sure that a man's children are really his children.
Kant
Of course, Aquinas isn't the only one who holds to this traditional view of marriage. He is joined by the famous 18th Century philosopher Immanuel Kant.
Taking a bit of a different route than Aquinas but coming to the same conclusion, Kant believed that sex is only moral when a man and a woman experience it in full devotion and respect for one another. In fact, one of the hallmarks of Kant's philosophy was that treating another human like an object is always immoral.
Now, since sexual desire is really about personal gratification, one could argue that it's difficult to treat the object of one's sexual desire as anything but that - an object. For this reason, Kant believes marriage, in which two people have committed their whole selves to one another, is the only way to mitigate the effects of sexuality's inborn selfishness.
Sounding very much like a mom talking to her teenager, Kant believed marriage is the only real hope for sex to be accompanied by real love and respect. To quote him directly, ''Matrimony is the only condition in which use can be made of one's sexuality. If one devotes one's person to another, one devotes not only sex but the whole person; the two cannot be separated.''
Okay, let's leave our 'traditional view of sexuality' philosophers for now and turn to a couple of those who have a different view: Bentham and Marquis de Sade.
Bentham
Born in 1748, Jeremy Bentham was a famous British philosopher and social reformer. Going against the mainstream opinions of his time, Bentham held to the utilitarian view of sexuality. This view argues any sexual act is moral if its utility, or its usefulness, outweighs its negative impact. In simpler terms, a sexual act is moral as long as its positives outweigh its negatives.
What this means is that a blanket of right or wrong can't merely be thrown at sexual acts; instead, each situation needs to be looked at under the lens of utility. For instance, does the possibility of an unwanted pregnancy outweigh the utility of premarital sex? Does the possibility of destroying a family outweigh the utility of an extramarital affair? In short, sexual morality is never just black or white. It needs to be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Taking a step past the beliefs of Bentham, and a huge leap past the thoughts of Aquinas and Kant, we turn to the thoughts of the Marquis de Sade.
Marquis de Sade
Born in 1740, Marquis de Sade was a French philosopher made famous for not only his liberal views on sexuality but also his personal sexual exploits. In direct opposition to Aquinas' natural law theory of sexuality, de Sade believed nature has given man the greatest possible assortment of sexual freedoms.
To state it really simply, de Sade belonged to the 'no holds barred' school of sexual morality. In other words, if you want to, go ahead. According to de Sade, the laws of man, and not nature, are to blame for stifling sexuality. Be it homosexuality, adultery, or premarital, sex in any form is free from the charge of immorality. To quote him directly, albeit a bit graphically, ''Nature places no great importance on fluid, which runs through our loins, and it is not concerned if we prefer to direct it down one path or another.''
Now, let's take a look at Susan Brownmiller's thoughts on morality issues associated with sexual consent and sexual abuse within the confines of marriage.
Susan Brownmiller
Born in 1935, Susan Brownmiller is a feminist journalist and activist who is best known for her pioneering book about rape, Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape, which, in part, challenged the idea that sex between a married man and woman is always moral. Brownmiller wrote specifically about marital rape, which at the time, was not considered immoral or a crime because of the widespread perception that a married woman 'belonged' to her husband and therefore existed in a perpetual state of consent.
Brownmiller argued that spousal rape was shockingly prevalent in male-female romantic relationships. She tied this prevalence, and the common law rule of marital rape exemption, to her thesis that that patriarchy uses rape to immorally dominate women and maintain a state of fear in male-female relationships.
Brownmiller's work has been credited with not only transforming legal and social perspectives on marital rape, but also helping to bring about the first marital rape laws in the United States.
Lesson Summary
There are many differing opinions surrounding the morality of sex. Many hold to the traditional view that only sex between a married man and woman is moral. Many do not.
The 13th Century philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas is one of history's most famous defenders of traditional sexuality. He held to the natural law theory that the penis is naturally designed to impregnate a woman, and the woman's anatomy is naturally designed to accept this impregnation. Any deviation from this design, created by God, is immoral.
The 18th Century philosopher Immanuel Kant believed that sex is only moral when a man and a woman experience it in full devotion and respect for one another. Only marriage offers protection from the inborn selfishness of sex.
Jeremy Bentham was a British philosopher and social reformer who argued the utilitarian view of sexuality. He believed any sexual act is moral if its utility, or usefulness, outweighs its negative impact.
The French philosopher Marquis de Sade believed that nature has given man the greatest possible assortment of sexual freedoms. Man's law, not nature, had deemed non-traditional sex as immoral.
Feminist journalist and activist Susan Brownmiller challenged the idea that a woman 'belonged' to her husband and existed in a perpetual state of consent. She argued that spousal rape was one way that the patriarchy used rape to immorally dominate women.
Moral Issues in Sexuality: Quick Guide
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- St. Thomas Aquinas is one of history's most famous defenders of traditional sexuality.
- Natural law theory argues that God designed sex to be between a man and a woman.
- Immanuel Kant is an 18th Century philosopher that believed sex is only moral when a man and a woman experience it in full devotion and respect for one another.
- Jeremy Bentham was a famous British philosopher and social reformer who held to the utilitarian view of sexuality.
- Utilitarian view of sexuality argues any sexual act is moral if its utility, or its usefulness, outweighs its negative impact.
- Marquis de Sade was a French philosopher made famous for not only his liberal views on sexuality but also his personal sexual exploits; he believed man's law, rather than nature, deemed non-traditional sex immoral
- 'No holds barred' is a school of sexual morality that believes if you want to have sex, then do so.
- Susan Brownmiller is a feminist philosopher who's work challenged the idea that a woman 'belonged' to her husband and existed in a perpetual state of consent.
Learning Outcome
After viewing this lesson, you should be able to discuss moral issues in sexuality by citing and summarizing the key theories of four famous philosophers.
