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On the Meaning of Sex Paperback – May 1, 2014

by J. Budziszewski (Author)

15 customer reviews

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What is the meaning of sex?

Everyone in every time and place is interested in sex. Our own time is obsessed by it. One would think that a society obsessed by sex would understand it very well. But the truth is that obsession drives out understanding. We no longer understand even the common sense of sexuality, the things that were common knowledge in supposedly less enlightened times.

Acclaimed philosopher J. Budziszewski remedies this problem. His wise, gracefully written book about the nature, meaning, and mysteries of sexuality restores lost wisdom, raising and answering such questions as:

•Does sex have to mean anything at all?
•What is the meaning of the sexual powers, of sexual differences, of sexual love, of sexual beauty, of sexual purity?
•Is sexuality “all about sex”?
•why does sexuality stir up such transcendent longings for something more than sex?

On the Meaning of Sex corrects the most prevalent errors about sex, particularly the errors of the sexual revolution, which by mistaking pleasure for a good in itself has caused untold pain and suffering. In restoring the meaning and purpose of sex, the author reclaims what Dante calls “the intelligence of love.”

“Looking out over the sexual landscape of our time,” Budziszewski writes, “I see a terrain of unutterable sweetness, despoiled by unmentionable pain. Yet who knows? Perhaps it is not too late to redeem the unutterable sweetness. Shall we try to find out?”

On the Meaning of Sex

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“In a style of argument reminiscent of C. S. Lewis, Budziszewski articulates the thoughts that so many young men and women begin to discern but seldom develop.” —Mark Regnerus, author of Forbidden Fruit

About the Author

J. Budziszewski is the best-selling author of many books, including The Line Through the Heart, What We Can’t Not Know: A Guide, The Revenge of Conscience, Ask Me Anything, and How to Stay Christian in College. A professor of government and philosophy at the University of Texas, he earned his Ph.D. from Yale University.

Product details

Paperback: 168 pages
Publisher: Intercollegiate Studies Institute; 1 edition (May 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1610170997
ISBN-13: 978-1610170994
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 15 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #776,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1078 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > Sexuality
- #1341 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Sexual Health > General
- #1673 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Sexuality

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Amazon Customer

May 25, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Brilliant essay. Beautifully written and printed.

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June 7, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

great

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February 16, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Profound, provocative, insightful, constructive. Budziszewski puts a different and insightful spin on "the meaning of sex."

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July 31, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Good stuff Bud. Not too deep. Product shipped quickly

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October 9, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

No issues

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Amazon Customer

October 23, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Excellent read.

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If Aristotle had been a sexologist...

October 18, 2012

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Dr. Budziszewski seems to have the right kind of intellect for a formal treatise on sex- he can be strictly logical but he seems to have the most fun exploring the confusions and ambiguities of his students' inchoate opinions.

Like in his other books, he excels particularly at the intersection of philosophy and psychology. In fact I would say he models extremely well the right way to handle the bordering territories of those fields of inquiry: first, let your guide be logic, and if confusions crop up, loosen up your thinking and consider the ways that a person's psychology encourages certain fallacies. The possibility of confusedly, unconsciously knowing without knowing what you know- Plato's remembering or anamnesis- allows Budziszewski to navigate through the many confusing things that his students have remarked about sex over the years.

One student thinks that designing babies in test tubes is disgusting, and also thinks that sex doesn't have to mean anything, without seeing the contradiction this entails. (If it is disgusting that babies come apart from sex, then we cannot say "sex doesn't have to mean anything." If sex doesn't have to mean anything, then it has no intrinsic meaning. In which case we ought not be disgusted by babies from test tubes.)

Budziszewski shows his humor here as a defender of Aristotle, in the first chapter saying "The first objection is that it is rubbish to talk about natural meanings and purposes, because we merely imagine such things. According to the objector's way of thinking, meanings and purposes aren't natural- they aren't really in the things themselves- they are merely in the eye of the beholder. But is this true? Take the lungs, for instance. When we say that their purpose is to oxygenate the blood, are we just making that up? Of course not. The purpose of oxygenation isn't in the eye of the beholder; it's in the design of the lungs themselves. There is no reason for us to have lungs apart from it. Suppose a young man is more interested in using his lungs to get high by sniffing glue. What would you think of me if I said, 'That's interesting- I guess the purpose of MY lungs is to oxygenate my blood, but the purpose of his lungs is to get high?' You'd think me a fool, and rightly so."

Another student asserts bitterly that the sole meaning of happiness is pleasure, and that if we are never fulfilled completely by pleasure, we had better just get used to the disappointment. Budziszewski quotes St. Thomas, who wrote "Happiness is the perfect good, which lulls the appetite altogether [sates it], else it would not be the last end, if something yet remained to be desired." Budziszewski continues: "It is as though my student had read the passage, but drawn the wrong conclusion. She was determined to pitch her tend on a plain of salt. 'I will not be burned. I will not be moved. I will not be taken in.' "

Five stars, almost four, because the chapter on the phenomenology of romance alters the dialectical pace of the book a bit too much. Still, five stars because the subject matter is so superbly handled.

0Comment 32 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

February 19, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Gifted and enjoyed

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Most recent customer reviews

If I could've given it zero stars, I would have.

I had to read this book for a "Philosophy of Human Sexuality" course in college. Easily one of the worst 'philosophy' books I've ever read, and I use the term philosophy...Read more

Published 2 months ago

Clarity, not emotion or sentimentality. Refreshing!!

I don't know how to fully express my love for this book. Clarity of thought, right order, learning the nature of a thing....Read more

Published 1 year ago

Theodore D. Jordan

The Book We Need

Went to a bachelor party weekend with this book tucked into the trunk of my car. Three different guys ended up reading it, cover to cover, and two more ordered their own copies on...Read more

Published on May 27, 2015

A. E. Hutchison

Common sense on sex

This is a good counter-cultural read and a good argument. If you don't have a strong vocabulary, you may want to get it on kindle because there are words you may want clarified,...Read more

Published on February 20, 2015

Wow, where has this been hiding?

Fantastic, common-sense (which is sadly uncommon) wisdom about sex and sexuality. Dr. Budziszewski passes along straightforward thinking about this topic, in a very readable...Read more

Published on December 29, 2014

Finally someone clearly and articulately writes down the way things ARE and extracts the meaning for the way things are.Read more

Published on October 25, 2014

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