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
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.
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
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 could relate as well to how sexual acts are perceived. Notice the common theme of deviance throughout the two excerpts. As described before, Alfred Kinsey, a well-regarded sex researcher of the 20th century, researched the borders between normalcy and deviance, noting that deviance is a societal construct that was used to control sexuality. Researcher Gayle Rubin even constructed a sex hierarchy, a charmed circle consisting of good, normal and natural sexuality versus that of what is seen as deviant, bad, unnatural and damned, naming things such as BDSM, homosexuality, and non-marital sex and so on. Though, it can be argued that these hierarchies aren’t obscene in any means but rather dependent on the individual to label as they see such.
Ethics can be defined broadly as a set of moral principles or values. Each of us has such a set of values, although we may or may not have clearly expressed them. It is common for people to differ in their moral principles and values and the relative importance they attach to them. These differences reflect life experiences, successes and failures, as well as the influences of parents, teachers, and friends.
Ethics refers to the values and customs of a community at a particular point in time. At present, the term ethics is guided by the moral principles that guide our everyday actions. These moral principles guide the researcher into deciding what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. The foundation of medical ethics is governed by two philosophical frameworks that are deontology, and utilitarianism. However ultimately the ethics committees need to balance the risks, and benefits for the participants and the community associated with the particular research proposal. This balance is quite important as the well being of participants is at risk.7
Ethics is a philosophical issue that is controversial today. Ethics recommends, systemizes, and defines the concepts of right and wrong behavior in our society. One’s ethics can raise the question, “What is the correct way to live in our society?” It investigates what is considered good or bad. Ethics resolves questions over human morality that ultimately dictates what is wrong or right. It does it’s best to explain what evil and good actions for human beings may look like. Many people view good moral actions interchangeably with ethics. Many argue that ethics is adherence to religious beliefs, society laws and other society guidelines. In general, ethics is adherence to societal guidelines and order that incorporates most aspects of our lives. Ethical human beings are those who do not intentionally harm other human beings.
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 theory of utilitarianism is associated with the philosopher Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism essentially is the theory that good is what causes a person pleasure and evil is what causes a person pain. Bentham’s utilitarianism is sometimes titled Act Utilitarianism because it focuses on individual actions A “right” action, according to Betham, is one that produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Where a “wrong” action is one that would cause more pain than pleasure. Before a person commits an action, they should look at the consequences that it can have on the individual and others. Hedonic Calculus is a method in determining how much pleasure or pain an action will elicit. Hedonic Calculus consists of seven criteria including intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity and extent. Each criteria can be given a score between -10 (worst pain) to +10 (highest pleasure). The action becomes ethical and moral if there is an overall net happiness for everyone that is affected. An acti...
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.
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.
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.