Philosophy of Sex

Catalog description

Sex is an important part of human experience, and questions about it have been central to literature, politics, religion, etc. Sex also gives rise to characteristically philosophical questions. What exactly is sex? How are sexual activities, desires, interests, and attractions related to one another? What makes such things 'sexual'? What sorts of ethical considerations arise in the case of sexuality? How do power disparities due to race, gender, disability, and the like affect the ethical character of sexual interactions? Is objectification always morally problematic? And what exactly is objectification anyway? Is sex between consenting adults always morally unobjectionable? Or are there cases in which even consensual sex is morally problematic? What makes rape the horrible violation that it is? Are rape fantasies themselves morally problematic? We'll explore these and similar questions throughout the course.