What is sex?
I'm not interested in the dictionary definition of sex and I'm not interested in a biological, psychological or pathological explanation for what motivates one to have sex. Rather, I am interested in how the community views sex in the context of ethics. Sex is a good thing, in most cases, and it is something desired by most people, but what kind of good is it? Is sex an instrumental good, good only insofar as it's consequences: sex leads to money, a feeling of satisfaction, attachment, status, psychological and physical wellbeing, a family etc etc; perhaps sex is intrinsically good: sex itself is enjoyable; or is it a combination of the two, good in itself and for it's consequences?
Some examples of instrumental goods would be surgery and exercise, both can lead to injuries and complications but the benefits of successful surgeries and fitness programs outweigh the negatives. An example of an intrinsic good would be pleasure or happiness, they are desired because of what they are rather than what they lead to and many other things are desired because they lead to pleasure or happiness. An example of something that is both instrumentally good and intrinsically good would be friendship, having friends is desirable in itself and there are many benefits to having friends.
Where does sex fit into this framework?
tl;dr: Is sex the journey, the destination or both?
Last edited by EscortInspector; 28-04-21 at 12:16.
Reason: typos
"Remove prostitutes from human affairs, and you will unsettle everything because of lusts..."
St Augustine
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