7. Sexual Ethics: Kant
- Created by: Alasdair
- Created on: 24-06-17 15:43
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- 7. Sexual Ethics: Kant
- Lectures on Ethics
- Marriage and sex
- "sexual love is a degradation of human nature"
- This is due to sex being based on passion and emotion
- Which is against the categorical imperative and against the use of reason
- This is due to sex being based on passion and emotion
- Sex goes against the 2nd maxim of humans as ends
- because someone is the object of another's lust and is used to gain pleasure
- The contract of marriage is fine:
- Kant argued this because marriage is a contract of equals, where "two persons become a unity of wills"
- In marriage people surrender their rights to another
- By doing this they became unified and have "the right to dispose over the other person", i.e. to use them to gain sexual pleasure
- After the union of two people into one by marriage, there cannot be any use of one person by another
- By doing this they became unified and have "the right to dispose over the other person", i.e. to use them to gain sexual pleasure
- This unification also ensures that in the marriage bed, spouses treat each other as ends to a mean as well as means to an end
- This means sex before marriage is immoral
- Challenge
- Mary Ann Gardell argues that by this Kant transforms an otherwise selfish and hedonistic act into one that is "altruistic in character"
- The use of contraception would become a hypothetical imperative, as it is used to achieve an outcome (to avoid pregnancy)
- The sexual act must be intrinsically good
- As to do it to procreate also becomes the hypothetical imperative
- "sexual love is a degradation of human nature"
- Divorce and adultery
- It may be right to make divorce universalisable in the eventuality that the marriage has broken down
- Criticism
- The unification of man and woman in marriage may mean divorce seems wrong
- However
- Kant did not specify if this was to be a life-long commitment, therefore if the marriage has broken down and cannot be reconciled, Kantians may say divorce is acceptable
- However
- The unification of man and woman in marriage may mean divorce seems wrong
- A person does not have the right to have sex with another person unless they are married, therefore adultery is wrong
- Criticism
- Sex would become hypothetical imperative, and use people as a means to an end
- Criticism
- Homosexuality
- According to Kant, a homosexual person "no longer deserves to be a person" as it debases humans to animals
- It is contra naturam (against nature) so it is simply a result of uncontrolled sexual desire
- Homosexuality cannot be universalised.
- Only a minority of people are gay and this would damage the human race, therefore Kant would argue it is immoral
- Criticism
- What if the continuation of the human race isn't the 'end'? What if love is the 'end'?
- This could mean homosexuality is permissible
- Universal law of "it is always right to love someone in a consenting relationship"
- What if the continuation of the human race isn't the 'end'? What if love is the 'end'?
- Criticism
- Sex is heterosexual relationships often has the purpose of procreation,, whereas sex in homosexual relationships is not used for this end
- Sex is homosexual relationships may be condoned more than in heterosexual relationships as it is not used for an end.
- Counter-challenge
- However, the end could be pleasure, so still wrong
- Counter-challenge
- Sex is homosexual relationships may be condoned more than in heterosexual relationships as it is not used for an end.
- Sex is heterosexual relationships often has the purpose of procreation,, whereas sex in homosexual relationships is not used for this end
- According to Kant, a homosexual person "no longer deserves to be a person" as it debases humans to animals
- Evaluation
- Promotion of self-respect
- Connection between sex and self-esteem
- Promotes freedom, autonomy, voluntariness
- Homosexuality is considered unnatural and self-defeating
- Contradicts modern society where homosexuality is considered natural and IVF allows gay couples to have children
- Focus on marriage
- Stable marriage means a stable society
- Impractical
- Doesn't fully appreciate sexual desire people have
- Ignores emotions as this leads to the hypothetical imperative
- However, couples initially have sex due to feelings of love and trust
- According to Kant, is there no need of this in relationships, although these are important aspects?
- However, couples initially have sex due to feelings of love and trust
- MacIntyre
- A virtue ethicist
- It is possible to universalise anything for personal situations
- Promotion of self-respect
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