Philosophy of Sex: Contemporary Readings [Paperback]

Alan Soble (Editor, Contributor), H E. Baber (Contributor), S J. Cheshire Calhoun (Contributor), Pat Califia (Contributor), Sidney Callahan (Contributor), Greta Christina (Contributor), John Corvino (Contributor), John Finnis (Contributor), Martha C. Nussbaum (Contributor), Alan Goldman (Contributor), Robert Gray (Contributor), Mane Hajdin (Contributor), Immanuel Kant (Contributor), Michael E. Levin (Contributor), Thomas A. Mappes (Contributor), Janice Moulton (Contributor), Thomas Nagel (Contributor), Igor Primoratz (Contributor), Laurie Shrage (Contributor), Irving Singer (Contributor), Robert Solomon (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0742513467 | ISBN-13: 978-0742513464 | Publication Date: August 2002 | Edition: Fourth Edition

Just what is normal sexual behavior? What is the role of fantasy in our sexual lives? How can we tell the difference between sexual harassment and actions that are simply in poor taste? Is there really any harm in looking at pornography? And is there a way to reconcile Christian faith with homosexual practice? People have been asking these questions for a long time, but there is still widespread disagreement among those who have proposed answers.
In the fourth edition of The Philosophy of Sex, distinguished philosophers and social critics confront a variety of issues, including prostitution, adultery, masturbation, homosexuality, and the different attitudes men and women have about sex. Alan Soble has taught and written about the philosophy of sex and love since 1976. Once again he carefully collects the most innovative and exciting new pieces in his area of expertise and blends them with the field's most seminal contemporary writings.
The fourth edition, the most comprehensive to date, still includes historically important essays by Thomas Nagel, Robert Solomon, Janice Moulton, Robert Gray, and Alan Goldman. To these solid foundations, Soble has added a new section on Kant and sex, as well as new essays by Michael E. Levin, Cheshire Calhoun, Irving Singer, and Pat Califia. Soble has also penned a new introductory essay, "The Fundamentals of the Philosophy of Sex," designed to ease students into, and provoke them about, the subject matter.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a significant and timely book. It is a book for everyone--certainly for teachers, students of philosophy of sexuality, and anyone interested in the large questions that bear on the nature of sexuality. The Philosophy of Sex: Contemporary Readings appears to be the best collection of essays about the philosophy of sex ever published. (Sexualities )

Few have done more to raise the level of philosophical interest in sex than Alan Soble. This fourth edition of The Philosophy of Sex testifies to the continuing vitality of philosophical endeavor in this area--a balanced, diverse, and provocative set of readings complemented by an excellent topical bibliography. (Kleinig, John )

Impressively, he [Alan Soble] has constructed a unique and eminently useful anthology rigorous enough to appeal both to philosophers and philosophy majors as well as accessible enough to serve students encountering philosophy for the first time. Soble’s book is pedagogically very good, able to interest both the philosophically trained as well as introductory-level students—I have found it superb for my department’s upper-division general education Philosophy of Sex and Love course—and is thus highly recommended. (Randy Cagle Essays In Philosophy )

With both classic and cutting-edge essays, The Philosophy of Sex, Fourth Edition is the perfect gateway to the expanding field of sexuality studies. (Mohr, Richard D. )

About the Author

Alan Soble is professor of philosophy at the University of New Orleans.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; Fourth Edition edition (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742513467
• ISBN-13: 978-0742513464
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,120,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sex, Sexual, Love; Only Sex Here, March 19, 2006

By 

D. S. Heersink "D. Stephen Heersink" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philosophy of Sex: Contemporary Readings (Paperback)

This book has been around for a couple of decades, updated periodically to make it more contemporary. It was a required text in a course I took on "The Philosophy of Sex," and I did not like it then, and I still don't like it. Why?

Because it's obviously a textbook. It's a collection or readings about "sex," and as the word "sex" can be quite elastic, so is this book. And because of that, this book finds its way into academia. Yes, it has readings on all sorts of "sex" issues, from abortion to homosexuality to bestiality (I might be kidding), but sex to me is none of those things (okay, homosexuality is sex). But "sex" here is distinct from "sexual," and that's the rub.

If you want a textbook that examines "sex," but not the "sexual," this book may interest you, but I assure you that you will not be entertained. It's as dry as they come (pun intended). If you're interested in theories about "love" and "sexuality," then mosey over to Robert Solomon. He has several (unfortunately some of his books have different names for the same text; be careful). His wonderful book "Love" is truly extraordinary (but it appears in different incarnations).

If you've been assigned this book as a text, you have my complete and total sympathies.