PHL243: Philosophy of Sexuality home
While sex is one of the most important subjects we can discuss – the survival of the human race depends upon it – it is also one of the most taboo. This historical taboo has lead to numerous myths and misunderstandings arising concerning the nature and purpose of sex. Recent philosophy has sought to explode these myths, and to identify the essential nature of sex so that we might properly understand it, freed of damaging assumptions and superstitions. In this course we will explore questions concerning sex under three broad categories: gender sex, erotic sex, and the ethics and politics of sexuality. The topic of gender sex raises questions such as: how is the gender of a person determined – is it biological, or cultural? Can a person have more than one gender? Can a person change genders? Turning to erotic sex, we will consider: whether sex has a purpose, and if so what might it be? What is the nature of sexual desire, and does it have a definable object? Is there such a thing as sexual perversion? Finally, we will consider questions surrounding the morality and politics of sex: is prostitution morally wrong? Is pornography morally wrong? Are there sexual differences sufficient to ground a belief in sexual inequality? Is incest wrong, and why? Is juvenile sex wrong, and why? We will draw on writings from the ancients to contemporary authors, and touch on topics ranging from biology to law.
REQUIRED READINGS will be from the following:
(PS) : Alan Soble, ed. The Philosophy of Sex: Contemporary readings 5th edition (2008).
(RP): A Reading Package to be bought from Alicos Copy Centre, 203A College Street.
(W): Some texts will be accessible on the the web, directly or through Blackboard
Evaluation: Weekly Summaries (to be submitted in class every thursday) (10%); Short Essay (15%); Long Essay (40%); Final Exam (35%)
Download the Lecture Slides by Following the links below
Lecture 1: Introduction and Overview
Section I: Historical Development of Our Understanding of Sex
Lecture 2: Plato on Sex and Love
READ: de Sousa & Morgan: "Philosophy, Sex and Feminism" (W); Excerpt from Plato's Symposium (W)
Lecture 3: Aquinas and Natural Law
READ: Aquinas, “Summa Theologica II-II, Question 154 On Lust” (W); Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II), “Periodic Continence” (PS 155-162)
Lecture 4: How Nature Really Works
READ: Maynard Smith & Szathmáry "The Origin of sex" (Origins of Life 79-93) (RP); Roughgarden on sexual and gender diversity in animals and people (RP)
Lecture 5: Sex and Gender Dimorphism
READ: Fausto-Sterling 1993, "The five sexes" Sciences, 33(2):20-25; (W); Butler, Judith,
“Doing Justice to Someone: Sex Reassignment and Allegories of Transsexuality”, GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, Volume 7, Number 4, 2001, pp. 621-636 (W); Roughgarden on "Disease and Diversity" (RP)
Section II: Sex, Morals, and the Human Experience
READ: Thomas Nagel, “Sexual Perversion”; Janice Moulton, “Sexual Behavior: Another Position”; Alan Goldman, “Plain Sex” (PS 31-75)
READ: Kant "Duties towards the body" (RP); Soble, “Sexual Use” (PS 259-288); Halwani, “Virtue Ethics, Casual Sex, and Objectification” (PS 347-339)
READ: Vannoy, "Sex without Love?" (W); de Sousa "Love as Theatre" (W); Recommended: William Jankowiak's TVO podcast on the inherent conflict between attachment love and erotic love
READ: Finnis, “The Wrong of Homosexuality” (PS 135-140) Corvino, “In Defense of Homosexuality” (PS 163-179); Calhoun, “In Defense of Same-Sex Marriage” (PS 197- 212)
Section III: Sex and Politics
Lecture 10: Pornography, Ethics and the Law
READ: Tisdale, “Talk Dirty to Me” (PS 419-432); Soble, “Pornography and the Social Sciences” (PS 433-449)
Lecture 11: Prostitution, Ethics, and the Law
READ: Estes (PS353-365); Nussbaum, “Whether from Reason or Prejudice” (PS 367-400) Schrage on "Sex Markets" in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (W)