7. Sexual Ethics: Kant

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  • 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
      • 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
        • 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
    • 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
      • 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
    • 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"
      • 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
    • 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?
      • MacIntyre
        • A virtue ethicist
        • It is possible to universalise anything for personal situations

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