Sex and flourishing

            I am attracted to Scruton’s Aristotelian approach of sexual morality because, like Hursthouse’s argument concerning the morality of abortion, it offers a way to discuss the issue without necessarily being concerned about rights or absolutes, but being more concerned with how it relates to human flourishing.

            I think I agree with the general idea that sex is not something that means nothing and that it should be taken seriously.  I also think that most people agree with this as well, even if they claim they do not.  If sex really were something that were totally devoid of any morality or, at least, a type of reasoning that should guide a person’s proper behavior concerning it, it seems to me that seeing someone after a one-night stand should not be awkward.  It’s not awkward to see someone with whom one shook hands the night before, after all.  What makes the morning after awkward is that the two people involved had done something intimate when the actual emotional intimacy that should be involved is not there.  It seems similar to the awkwardness that exists between people who were once friends that results from the lack of intimacy despite their history of having done intimate things together.

            Furthermore, the fact that rape is a serious issue for anyone also seems to reveal that sex is something important that should be taken seriously.  Again, if someone forcibly shook hands with another person, it seems unlikely that the same distress involved with rape would exist; sex clearly isn't simply a physical act, but rather something closely tied to identity and something that holds meaning.   And as all similarly serious issues should, sex has an associated morality or at least a guideline for how to approach it to achieve flourishing.

            Ultimately, while I do not think that there are strict rules concerning the way one approaches sex, it seems that sex has more importance and is more tied to human flourishing than people often assume.  Thus, I agree with Scruton’s view that people would flourish more if they are able to recognize and maintain their sexual integrity (although I’m not sure if I agree that the “harmless wanker with the video-machine can at any moment turn into the desperate rapist with a gun”.)