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Sexual Ethics - Application of Theories - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Mill emphasised the importance of putting the pleasures of the minority on top of the pain of the majority, especially if the minority's pain is not causing any harm. In the case of homosexuality, the happiness of the homosexual minority would be priority over the above the pains of those who oppose homosexuality thus preventing mob instincts governing the lives of those who are different.
    - - However, others argue that sex can never exclusively be a private matter. Not only because sex involves more than one person but also because sexual acts have an effect on wider society, such as creating human life.
    - - Alternatively, a society that didn't advocate sex inside marriage, with either social rules or actual legislation, may experience terrible consequences in the long-term. Extra-marital sex is when a married person has sex with someone other than his or her spouse, or when a single person has sex with a married person. The creation of a child in extra-marital sex can lead to the breakup of marriages. Aside from causing emotional distress for the other spouse and the children involved, this will also decrease the amount of nuclear families in society, which has been argued to be the ideal family units to exist for family to function.
        
        Furthermore, pre-marital sex, when individuals engage in sex prior to a formal marriage, can lead to the exploitation of the vulnerable. For example, young women who fall pregnant after engaging in pre-marital sex are often left vulnerable to abandonment, as there is a lack of legal and emotional ties between the mother and father that would usually be secured by marriage. Increasing numbers of people having sex outside of marriage and children being brought up in single parent homes would result if society did not have social norms that favoured sex happening within marriages. This is an observable phenomenon in the UK. According to the Office of National Statistic, the rate of marriages in England and Wales have been steadily decreasing since the 1970s, while divorces have increased. Some argue that increasing public opinion that sex should be private and personal is to blame
        
        Natural Law ethics sees right and wrong as fixed concepts that can be deduced through reason. He argued individuals' reason could be used to reveal certain primary precepts that are good, for instance, protecting life and ensuring reproduction. Catholic thought, heavily influenced by Natural Law, would put forward the argument that sex is something that should be subject to social norms and legislation, as sex is linked to new life, to stability, community and commitment. The argument can be made that homosexual sex, pre-marital sex and extramarital sex should be restricted by social norms or legislation in extreme cases. It may be the most ethical course of action to prohibit sexual behaviour that is not beneficial for sustaining human society but in fact hurting society. Homosexual sex cannot bring forth new life and bringing new life outside of marriage does not ensure that a child is nurtured in a stable way. This would support the view that sexual behaviour should be subject to social norms.
        
        On the other hand, it could be argued that traditional ethical rules surrounding sex are too restrictive on individuals. Social norms which perceive married heterosexual couples as the only legitimate relationship in which sex can take place, ultimately leads to the oppression of minority groups and repression of individuals sexual desires. The case can be made that this restriction of the individual is an unethical approach to sexual behaviour in our society.
        
        Situation Ethics permits the setting aside of social rules, if that is the most loving thing to do, Fletcher argued that this could be applied to sexual ethics. For example, a married woman whose husband is suffering from Alzheimer's may seek an extra-marital relationship which offers her the support and care that she needs while caring for her husband. If extra-marital sex was prohibited by legislation, for instance, this woman would suffer from the absence of emotional support she would receive from a loving relationship as she cannot divorce her ill husband and there are laws restricting her from seeking that love somewhere else. This example highlights how sex being regulated by legislation may lead to negative consequences for society, causing more pain than pleasure. In these situations, it may be more ethical to abandon sexual ethical rules that prohibit extra-marital affairs.
  - - - Mill's Harm Principle suggests that a government should only intervene into peoples liberty if others are being harmed. Mill emphasised the importance of putting the pleasures of the minority on top of the pain of the majority, especially if the minority's pain is not causing any harm. In the case of homosexuality, the happiness of the homosexual minority would be priority over the above the pains of those who oppose homosexuality thus preventing mob instincts governing the lives of those who are different.
        
        "Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign" On Liberty
        
        Millll also said "the liberty of the individual must be thus far limited, he must not make himself a nuisance to other people" On Liberty, thus if peoples choices in the area of sexual behavior cause harm to others then part of that freedom should be taken away.
        
        The Harm Principle: "The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others." On Liberty
      - The problems with this viewpoint are that utilitarianism could lead to over-sexualisation and for example gang rape being made acceptable. A form of utilitarianism where the bounds of morality are just the greatest pleasure for the greatest number would be chaotic.
        
        Kant might argue that choices of sexual behaviour should be subject to rules and regulations to ensure that any sexual relationship does not 'degrade human nature' by treating the other person as an object. Sex outside of marriage removes the assurance that the intercourse will not degrade humanity to a lust fueled ecstasy.
        
        This is where we make a distinction between Bentham and Mill's different opinions of utilitarianism and how Mill has refined his godfather's philosophy. Mill regards sexual pleasure as a lower pleasure, placing value in the idea of higher and lower pleasures. Thus, it is more about having an Aristotelean Eudemonic sense of pleasure rather than sexual pleasure. Therefore, sex within the means of Mill's harm principle will not lead to lust fuelled ecstasy because of the harm Principle allowing rules and regulations to step in where harm is being caused.
      - Another problem with this is that there could be a decline into moral decay, the demise of ecclesiastical heteronomy leads to a decline or fall of the moral values of society. Which leads to arbitrary morality where decisions appear to be made randomly.
        
        through natural law Aquinas argued that right and wrong are fixed concepts that can be deduced through reason. He argued individuals' reason could be used to reveal certain primary precepts that are good, for instance, protecting life and ensuring reproduction. Without a society based upon firm foundations the meaning of what is good and bad is lost. Therefore sexual behaviour should be subject to social norms as sexual acts have an effect on wider society. Having them unrestricted would lead to a decline into a moral decay which could cause harm and damage to people.
        
        However, due to Mill's harm principle any excess damage would be averted. there would not be a completely restrictionless society as extramarital sex would still be prohibited because it would cause harm to the person who is being cheated on and to his relationship with his partner. although the bounds of morality may seem weak, there are bounds when it comes to inflicting human suffering upon others hence, this view ensures there will not be a decline into moral decay.
        
        Grounding problem that may be suffered by utilitarianism, is solved by the harm principle as well as the pleasure principle.