BDSM is most often used as a term to describe a range of sexual activities. However, it is also an approach to sex and to sex play. BDSM is a cumulation of other acronyms; B&D; standing for bondage and discipline, D/s; standing for dominance and submission, and S&M; standing for sadism and masochism. BDSM is not principally a clinical term used by health care professionals, rather it is more often used by people to describe their own sexual practices. “A very general definition might be that BDSM is a form of sexual expression that involves the willing and consensual exchange of power” (Silverberg). The words “willing” and “consensual” are vital, BDSM is not a term that describes any behavior that is forced or pressured. The most important …show more content…
However, if approaching the concept from a relativist point of view, considering that good and bad are based on many factors, it becomes clearer how an ethical argument can be made for the practice of BDSM. The most critical factor is consent; consent is a requisite/requirement, in BDSM therefore without consent it would be unethical. Subjectivists and individualists, believing it is only up to the individual themselves to decide what is good/bad, would have no opposition to the practice of …show more content…
However, when looking at the root words it becomes easier to distinguish the difference between the two. Morality, stemming from the Latin word mores or customs, is more about complying with social, cultural, or religious rules. Whereas ethics, stemming from the Greek ethos or character, is more about making the right choices. On this view, ethics embraces both intention and results. A deontologist, believing that acts are right because of good intentions (also duty, principle, and other generally good acts), may be able to provide an ethical argument for BDSM. A teleological approach to ethics, applying that an act is right when it produces a positive result, sheds light onto the benefits of a BDSM relationship, this is also how I view the subject. Behaving ethically in BDSM needs to always take a utilitarian approach, meaning doing ones “best to obtain a good result for everyone with a stake in your actions” (Stein). Also, negative utilitarianism, creating the least amount of unhappiness, is vital. I believe that the two go hand in hand when describing the ethical practices within
Wendy Doniger and Sudir Kakar call the sexually violent Kama Sutra ‘bright and shiny,’ but when people hear the words ‘bright and shiny’ sexual violence is not usually paired together with those terms. This idea of ‘bright and shiny’ contrasts the idea of intercourse being ‘dark and heavy.’ Sexual violence can be relatively cheerful though it lacks emotional eroticism. Emotional eroticism is not so constrained and is more focused around the idea of love. The violence used during intercourse helps one to obtain continuity through physical eroticism. Bataille said, “Physical eroticism has in any case a heavy, sinister quality. It holds on to the separateness of the individual in a rather selfish and cynical
In the article “An Anthropological Look at Human Sexuality” the authors, Patrick Gray and Linda Wolfe speak about how societies look at human sexuality. The core concept of anthology is the idea of culture, the systems of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors people acquire as a member of society. The authors give an in depth analysis on how human sexuality is looked at in all different situations.
Alfred Kinsey stated in his 1953 nonfiction book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female that 12% of females and 22% of males reported having an erotic response to a sadomasochistic story(direct quote Wikipedia). The Australian study performed in 2001 showed that 1.8% of people engaged in sexual activities had practiced BSDM at least once. On the other hand, the 1990 Kinsey Institute’s report showed that 5-10% of the sexually active population engaged in so-masochistic activities(Wikipedia). The difference between data obtained in Australia and the USA can be explained by the difference in the research methods and samples being studied. Canadian study performed on undergraduate students showed that about 65% of men have sadistic fantasies and about 22-39% integrated this fantasies into their sexual practices. The sadistic fantasies of males responded to the female desire of receiving some brutality from the partner. “German Institut für rationale Psychologie found that about 2/3 of the interviewed women stated a desire to be at the mercy of their sexual partners, 69% admitted to fantasies dealing with sexual submissiveness, 42% stated interest in explicit BDSM techniques(Direct quote from Wikipedia).” Numerous of other studies showed that most of the females enjoy experiencing the force for themselves what is the part of normal sexual fantasies
Ethics are the principles that shape individual lives in modern society. It is a subjective idea that seems to have a standard in society. Ethics and morals are the major factors that guide individuals to make right and wrong choices. Something that is morally right to one person might be the very opposite of what another person would view as right. There are many factors that can trigger a change in an individual’s view of morality.
Pornography is material that is sexual in content for the intent of arousal and stimulation. Such material includes; movies, magazines, photographs and books. In most instances, the desire for pornography is pleasure. Pornography is a stimulus that creates arousal for the purpose of stimulation and as such, sensation from climax that results in pleasure. As an individual views such material, he may view repeated sexual themes, perhaps the same genre of pornography or the same actors. Explicit pornography is considered; bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism (BDSM), dominance and submission (Bonomi, 2013), strangling asphyxiation, humiliation, violence and rape. Desensitization is a “neurological process that results in a reduced or loss of physiological response following prolonged or repetitive stimulation (Wang & Xiulan. 2005).” This occurrence takes place due to a decrease in a neurotransmitter, resulting in a decreased response to a stimulus (Nairr...
The ethical utilitarianism theory is when the moral rightness of an action or activity can be determined by looking at its consequences. The consequences are determined right or wrong depending on whether the outcome is favorable than more unfavorable by those who are affected by the action or activity. So this means as long as the actions or activity that are performed bring out the most happiness and pleasure overall, the action is then considered morally and ethically right, but if the action brings sadness and displeasure then the action or activity is wrong. There is another way ethical utilitarianism is looked at, which is when the action or activity is judged by the people involved are
The word ethics is derived from the Greek word ‘ethos’ meaning character or conduct. It is typically used interchangeably with word moral which is derived from the Latin word ‘moves’ which means customs or habits. Ethics refers to conduct, character and motivations involved in moral acts. Ethics are not imposed by a profession, by law but by moral obligation. It is unwritten code of conduct that encompasses both professional conduct and judgement. Ethics helps support autonomy and self-determination, protect the vulnerable and promotes the welfare and equality of human beings. An ethical dentist- patient relationship is based on trust, honesty, confidentiality, privacy and the quality of care.1
The statement that the emotionally strongest of the three presentations of the ‘To This Day’ poem is the picture book is fictitious. The poem ‘To This Day’, written and spoken by author Shane Koyczan, is about how children can be cruel to other children, making some’s lives miserable and others end. The poem ‘To This Day’ has been written from his perspective as a child, with personal experiences of how this cruelty affects the lives of others not just when they are children, but growing up as well, and it is represented unjustly in all formats apart the animation, for the impact both emotionally and creatively is far superior compared to that of the picture book and the TED Talk.
Sexuality is defined in many ways, for the sake of this papers clarity sexuality will be defined as, sexual feelings and interactions that are defining features of romantic intimacy. (Fering 2009) Child sexual abuse (CSA) is defined in the International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences as "any [sexual] action that is inflicted upon or must be tolerated by a child against their own will or any [sexual] action about which the child cannot make a decision due to their physical, emotional, mental, and verbal inferiority." Statistics for the prevalence of CSA range from anywhere from 15 to 25 percent of women to 5 to 10 percent of men according to Deegener. (2002)
This balance is quite important as the well being of participants is at risk. Over the last twentieth century, there have been numerous examples in which ethical principles have not been considered in research leading to ethical breaches that have negative implications on study participants.1 One US human experimentation study which breached ethical conduct was the US Public Health Service Syphilis Study, more commonly known as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which was conducted from 1932 through 1972.2 The study recruited 399 African-American male subjects diagnosed with syphilis. The recruited men came from poor, rural counties around Tuskegee, Alabama. The stated purpose of the study was to obtain information about the course of untreated syphilis. The study was initially meant to be for 6 months, however the study was modified into a “death as end-point study”.
There are many different types of fetishes out in the world today. According to the book, “Forensic and Medico-legal Aspects of Sexual Crimes and Unusual Sexual Practices”, written by Anil Aggrawal, there are about five hundred-forty-seven terms describing paraphilic sexual interests. Anil Aggrawal describes Sexual Fetishism as, “Reliance on some non-living objects as a stimulus for sexual arousal and sexual gratification” (15). A fetish can be both physical as well as a mental aspect of sexuality Just to name a few fetishes and their definitions:
...lfill their duties to oneself then they are unethical. A prostitute is a person that gives up their freedom by selling themselves which would be not fulfilling their duty to oneself. Kant also believes if a person is using another as a means to an end, then that is unethical. Prostitution is an act where a client uses a prostitute for personal benefit or a means to an end. Jeremy Bentham’s method of Hedonic Calculus uses a calculation to figure out if a certain action is ethical by calculating the pleasure and pain that action would elicit. Doing Hedonic Calculus on the act of prostitution would show that the pain of the prostitute will outweigh the pleasure of the client. I agree with both of these philosophers that prostitution is unethical. There is much mental and physical damage that prostitution causes that I feel would make prostitution unethical.
There are many different opinions of people on the word ‘ethics’. Some would say it is to differentiate between rights or wrong based on feeling. Another part of society believes that ethics is something that is a requirement by religion. Others however, would say that ethics is an obligation to uphold the law.
The question fundamental to the philosophy of sex is the question probing into the nature of sexual activity. What is sex? Many have postulated on the subject, but have only further clouded the waters surrounding the subject. There are a multitude of philosophical answers addressing the question of sex ranging from the natural to the phenomenological to everywhere in between. It is essential to the discussion that a proper definition of sex be established before addressing any other issues. I plan to establish a proper definition of sex with an account of sexual perversion and then continue on discussing the nature of cybersex, infidelity, and love.
To answer this question, we must first understand what both ethics and morality are. As ethics is defined as the philosophical study of morality, those who study religion get their moral precepts from what they believe God says should be done. This perspective is not at all unexpected, because all religions apply a perspective on morality. Morality is defined as beliefs concerning right and wrong, good and bad- beliefs that can include judgements, values, rules, principles, and theories. Morals are what help us guide our actions, define our values, and give us reason for being the person that we are.