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Ethics > Sexual Ethics > Flashcards

Sexual Ethics Flashcards

1
Q

Premarital sex

A

Sex before marriage

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2
Q

Extramarital sex

A

Sex outside of marriage, where at least one party is married to someone else

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3
Q

Contractarian

A

The idea that moral rules or norms are based on an implicit mutual agreement

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4
Q

Histroicals attitudes to sex and sexuality

A
  • premarital sex, extramarital sex and homosexuality are a falling short of God’s ideal
  • UK has a Judeo-Christian ethical view
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5
Q

Why have attitudes to sex and sexuality changed

A
  • effective use of contraception has made premarital sex less risky
  • 75% see no moral issue with premarital sex
  • 68% do not consider homosexual relationships to be wrong
  • 85% find extramarital sex always wrong
  • increase in cohabitation (more likely to divorce if you cohabit)
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6
Q

The non-harm principle

A

MILL

  • rules are needed only in order to prevent people being harmed and to take action if harm takes place
  • provided the people involved have given consent and no one is harmed then no further rules are needed
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7
Q

Support of the non-harm principle

A

JOHN HARRIS
- sexual ethics as such is not needed, since issues as violence, abuse or paedophilia would be dealt with under other ethical debates

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8
Q

Michel Foucault

A

Challenges religious thinking on sexual ethics

  • categorises sexual behaviour in terms of normal and abnormal
  • unhelpful way of seeing the world = should be rejected
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9
Q

Feminist view on sexual ethics

A
  • gender inequality disproportionately affects women by sexual discrimination
  • MeToo movement highlighted this issue - sexual abuse, assault at work, revenge porn
  • women are more judged if they have had several partners
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10
Q

Applying natural law - Aquinas

A
  • each person and each activity has a telos
  • the primary precept of human beings is reproduction
  • sexual acts without reproduction does not reach your telos - no masturbation, contraception, homosexual acts
  • marriage is fundamentally important - premarital and extramarital rejected
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11
Q

John finnis

A

Based on natural law theories

  • certain things in life are basic goods of human flourishing eg reproduction, knowledge, work
  • only in marriage that both friendship and reproduction can be combined
  • homosexual sex is instrumental and harmful
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12
Q

Fletcher’s view

A
  • key to christian ethics is agape
  • it applied to individual situations
  • agape is the middle ground between legalism ad antinomianism
  • premarital sex and homosexuality is not morally wrong as long as they are based on love
  • extramarital sex can sometimes be supported depending on the circumstances
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13
Q

Fletchers view on dangers of his view

A
  • there is a danger of promiscuity

- people are ignoring the value of dignity of persons and are treating them as ‘love objects’

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14
Q

Fletchers difficult cases surrounding extramarital sex

A
  • Mrs Bergmeier

- patriotic prostitution

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15
Q

Christianity and sexual ethics

A
  • biblical material, Jesus says very little about sexuality
  • Paul said that christians should remain celibate
  • RC, equal weight to church teaching, natural law and biblical material
  • liberal, value the bible but feel that there is a need to interpret and apply Paul’s teaching literally
  • evangelical, may take the biblical teaching in a moral literal sense
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16
Q

Kant - persons and marriage

A
  • persons have desires but also rationality to make decisions regarding our desires
  • main concern is that sexuality can reduce us purely to acting on desires
  • marriage helps us to avoid degrading us as a person because the couple has freely and rationally chosen to enter into this contract
  • sexual relationships are based on will and desire
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17
Q

kant’s view on premarrital sex

A

opposes premarital sex

  • it is not based on a mutual promise-making that is offered in marriage
  • sex risks being based on animal instincts and lust
  • especially the case around one night stands and casual encounters
18
Q

kants view on extramarital sex

A

oppose extramarital sex

  • it breaks the promises made in marriage
  • the promise breaking cannot be universalised
  • it is impossible to engage in extramarital sex without treating at least one if not both parties as a means to an end
19
Q

Kant’s view on homosexuality

A

opposed to homosexuality

  • sees it as a degradation of human nature based purely on desire
  • it is not possible to treat other persons as an end
  • it cannot be universalised so would lead to human race dying out
20
Q

modern Kantian views on homosexuality

A

DO NOT agree with Kant

  • someone’s sexuality is part of their identity
  • homosexual relationships should be permitted as this allows the persons involved to be treated ‘as an end’ rather than a means to an end
21
Q

neo-Kantian view

A
  • suggest that Kant is too dependent on marriage
  • it may be possible if both parties are in agreement in almost a ‘contract-based way’ (allowing premarital sex, one night stands, prostitution)
  • Kant would strongly disagree with this
22
Q

Mill’s view

A
  • sex is a lower pleasure= - non-harm principle - governments should not intervene or make law unless someone is harming someone else
  • tolerant of various sexual practices as long as there is consent
23
Q

Bentham act utilitarianism

A
  • case by case basis
  • whatever brings the most pleasure is the right action
  • pleasure is the key purpose of sex, reproduction is rejected
24
Q

peter singer/ modern utilitarianism

A
  • questioned if ethical discussion was needed
  • no unique moral issue in sexual ethics
  • there are greater and more important moral questions that arise from driving a car eg effects on the environment and harm to others (SINGER)
25
Q

utilitarian view on premarital sex

A
  • ordinarily have no issue
  • better access to contraception prevents the negative consequences of sex
  • strongly supported by Mill
26
Q

utilitarian view on extramarital sex

A
  • may have reasons to oppose on the grounds that the pain and harm that it may cause outweighs any initial pleasure
  • judged on a case-by-case basis
  • Richard Taylor - passionate love is one of life’s greatest goods and that there is nothing wrong in having affairs
  • BUT non-harm principle might lead to the opposite point that affairs cause more harm than good
27
Q

utilitarian view on homosexuality

A
  • Bentham and Mill, there is no logical reason for the law to make homosexual acts a criminal offence
  • Singer, reject the idea that homosexuality causes some people offence; people should be free to pursue the things that bring them pleasure or joy as long as no one else is harmed
28
Q

deontological approaches

A
  • Kantianism
  • Natural law
  • EXTRA: finnis
29
Q

teleological approaches

A
  • situation ethics

- utilitarianism

30
Q

Utilitarianism is helpful

A
  • it is modern and progressive (society has now caught up with utilitarian view)
  • it is a secular theory that notes that the traditional way of thinking based on religion needs to be replaced
  • it is flexible to the situation
  • has minimal rules
  • sex is mostly personal and private so good to have minimal rules
  • does not allow acts where others are harmed
31
Q

Utilitarianism is not helpful

A
  • Bentham, the pleasure of majority which means that gang rape might not be counted as wrong
  • basing decisions on pleasure is not a solid basis fro ethical reasoning as emotions change
  • difficult to objectively consider pleasure and pain and weigh up the consequences
  • ‘tyranny of the majority’ could lead to homophobic laws or the banning of religious criticism depending on what the view of the majority is
  • consequences that are often outside of our control dictate whether something is wight or wrong - this does not make sense eg an affair is good or bad only if the other person finds out
32
Q

Kantian ethics is a helpful approach

A
  • respect for the person is useful as it ensure we treat people as persons not objects
  • gives clear rules and also does not rely on religion
  • it is based on logic and rational principles, important where emotions can cloud judgements
33
Q

Kantian ethics is not a helpful approach

A
  • universal law is hard to apply to sexual ethics, human race would die out if everyone is homosexual but is wrong that not everyone desires this
  • optimism about marriage may be misplaced
  • Kant’s rationality is oddly out of place, emotions and passion are at the heart of this topic and they should not be dismissed
  • Simone de Beauvoir argues that the institution of marriage enslaves women and takes away their freedom
34
Q

Religious ideas should not continue to have an influence on sexual ethics

A
  • society has changed its attitudes to both religion and sex, strange that religious beliefs should dominate
  • non-harm principle and the requirement of consent addresses the most difficulties, there is no need for religious principles
  • some religious attitudes are outdated and understand the importance of sex
35
Q

Foucault view on religion and sexual ethics

A

Religious ethics have introduced the unhelpful ideas of normal and abnormal into this topic

36
Q

Religious ideas should continue to have an influence on sexual ethics

A
  • religious ideas are a useful contrast to a modern culture that risks cheapening sex
  • religious ideas have been enlightened when understood in their context
  • Jesus’ teaching on divorce does not distinguish between genders
  • marriage is valued in religion and there is statistical evidence that there are benefits to overall wellbeing in marriage
37
Q

Situation ethics is a good approach

A
  • it is person centred which is the right approach for issues around sexuality
  • important that people come before rules
  • it is flexible and avoids cheapening sex or allowing sex to be casual
  • avoids pitfalls of other relativist theories
  • enables decisions to be based on core religious principle yet is flexible to the changing nature of society
  • treats people as adults and gives them the responsibility to make their own decisions
  • there is often a lack of love in religious responses but this follows love
38
Q

Situation ethics is a poor approach

A
  • it overlooks the fact that there may well be absolutes in sexual ethics
  • it is hard to see how an exception can be made for some rules eg ‘Do not commit adultery’
  • it is guilty of selective interpretation of the bible, love is not the sole teaching of Jesus
  • it is difficult to know how far to take the idea of love in terms of measuring consequences
  • giving the individual the decision may be too demanding (more guidance will be needed)
  • Mrs Bergmeier/ exceptional cases are rare exception are may be unwise to make them general
39
Q

Natural law is helpful

A
  • focuses on marriage and reproduction, it avoids cheapening acts
  • focuses on telos which it is disentangled from some of the more legalistic interpretations that the Church has placed on it
  • statistical evidence that the children of married parents are more likely to flourish
40
Q

Natural law is not helpful

A
  • natural law is derived from divine law and rely heavily on God
  • telos is problematic; assumes that persons have a telos and there is telos of sexual acts
  • sexual urges may be natural but not everyone has heterosexual inclinations, homosexuality is part of human nature
  • commits naturalistic fallacies
  • it focuses on reproduction rendering sex between old and infertile pointless
  • it is legalistic and does not move with the times
41
Q

Sexual behaviour is private and personal

A
  • provided consent is given there is no other ethical considerations needed (rule out rape, paedophilia etc)
  • non-harm would ensure neither politicians nor philosophers need to consider sexual matters
  • natural law assumes that all persons and acts have a purpose, when this is removed sex is purely free and a personal choice
42
Q

Sexual behaviours are not just private and personal

A
  • sexual behaviour affects people for better or worse
  • extramarital affairs affects children and partners - there are ethical concerns to discuss
  • ethical theories often help to avoid cheapening sex eg Kant and fletcher’s theories
  • there are gender inequalities, there is a need to discuss ethical issues that arise from the imbalance of power in sexual relationships

Ethics (20 decks)

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