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PerseusWizardry  2yr ago (text post)   3914 thread views

Does my Philosophy of Sexuality Professor Have a Point? (It's a mandatory gen-ed)

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obligated

I mean, right here is where I would object. Obligated by whom? This is a philosophy class... I feel like if you're presupposing a moral framework, you have to prove it (or at least lay it out).

Supposed there is a tribe of people living on a remote island, who have successfully resisted all outside contact. Are they obliged to make friends with people from outside of their island? Should they be obliged to breed with people from outside of their island?

we all have an obligation to become bisexual.

I say this as someone who is bi, we really can't control who we are attracted to. Otherwise being gay would be a choice... From everything I've seen and read, it's not. Plus this is almost an incel argument: You're obligated to go out with me because I'm such a nice guy!

There is something natural (perhaps this is the incorrect word... emotional? implicit) about attraction. There is some nurture involved here but it seems your prof is ignoring the nature part...

Attraction seems like a red herring. If I have an obligation to anything, my joy at doing so is irrelevant. Nobody gets out of paying taxes due to really not enjoying it.

But that begs the question of why is there that obligation? What is the framework used to create the obligation and does the real effect of the obligation change the conclusion re the obligation?

For example, if the framework was utilitarian then the lack of joy limits the usefulness of the obligation.

Unhelpful to the discussion but your username and tagline crack me up. Ah, fond memories from my younger years.

Nobody gets out of paying taxes due to really not enjoying it.

So I owe sex to people?

Possibly, if you accept the premises that lack of willingness that stems from unethical preferences is itself wrongful.

So you're saying, ethically speaking: unwilling sex < unethical preferences?

You realize how much this sounds like corrective rape?

No, it's more like: if you were ethical, you would be willing in the first place. And to be clear, this is not my position, this is the argument the OP presented. My point was just that in the framework of that set of premises and conclusions, attraction is irrelevant.

if you were ethical, you would be willing in the first place

This completely ignores the emotional aspect... Am I misunderstanding? Are you are saying I can control who I am attracted to?

And to be clear, this is not my position

This shouldn't have to be said but I hear you.

My point was just that in the framework of that set of premises and conclusions, attraction is irrelevant.

Right, and my point is that this framework leads to disgusting ideas, like corrective rape.

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