College Sex - Philosophy for Everyone: Philosophers With Benefits Read Online Free

high status, e.g., fraternity members and athletes), and the easy availabil- ity of alcohol and drugs, young students of both sexes and different sex- ual orientations have serious choices to make. How can philosophical reflection be of help in arriving at intelligent decisions that can be defended ethically and not regretted in retrospect?
    Philosophy, for most of its history in the West, has been primarily concerned with the definition, clarification, and critical analysis of basic concepts and theoretical frameworks that are fundamental to our under- standing of the natural and social world.To live rationally, we must come to know ourselves. We are not merely thinking beings but also sensing, feeling, emotional, appetitive creatures with needs, desires, and aspira- tions for our lives. Our capacity for pleasure and pain, as with many other animals, is central to our existence. And among the chief sources of human pleasure (and pain) is our sexual experience and the emotional, social, and moral consequences that follow from the choices we make with regard to our sexual activities and relationships.
    Having a clear conception of what sexuality is and what it means to us as individuals is essential for most of us to live a good life. Confusions, ambiguities, and contradictions in our ideas and beliefs lead to painful dilemmas, conflicts, and generally bad decisions; this is particularly true in sexual matters. Human beings typically live with others in often com- plex networks of different sorts of relationships. Normal sexual gratifica- tion, if it is anything more than masturbation, involves relating to other people, if only temporarily. What counts as normal sexuality and what kinds of obligations define intimate relationships are, at least in part, philosophical questions, i.e., they are not merely psychological, but call for normative standards. Arriving at acceptable standards means going beyond an uncritical acceptance of existing norms, reflecting on them, and perhaps rejecting or modifying them in light of what one learns from experience, scientific research, and the rational consideration of other points of view.
    How we are to think of sexual desire, its connections to the various forms of love, marriage, and friendship, and its relations to our identity
    and sense of ourselves are basic philosophical questions about life. What is the aim of sexual desire? Should it always be expressive of love or even be restricted further to those who are engaged or married? Are friendships to be kept free of sexual complications? Does our sexual orientation define us as individuals? What about unusual sexual inclinations or practices – can some objectively be classified as deviant, perverse, or unhealthy? What kinds of experimentation might be reasonable and acceptable as a way of finding out what we want and who we are? These are some of the questions young adults of a college age should be asking themselves. The tools and techniques of philosophical inquiry, along with the ethical wis- dom of centuries of profound reflection by philosophers, can help us find thoughtful answers.
    Many of the questions we have, or should consider, about sexuality are essentially moral ones, concerning not just our personal goals but our relations to others as well. When is consent to sexual activity given com- petently? What constitutes rape? How can we not use others in sexual relationships, but always treat them with respect and consideration? What does self-respect demand of us in sexual situations, and is it a moral issue? Is the preservation of virginity until marriage a moral matter, or just one of personal preference? What are the reasons to marry in today’s society, and what responsibilities does it entail? Do non-marital sexual relationships involve the same obligations as a typical monogamous mar- riage, e.g., sexual exclusivity? Is promiscuity wrong even if one has no duty to be sexually faithful? What about possible bad