Human Sexuality

Philosophy and Religion

Greeks:

  • Plato’s Influence on later Christianity and modern conceptualization of love?

  • Concept of Dualism

    • Plato introduced the idea that the world is split into two realms: the Material world (physical, decaying, and deceptive) and the World of Forms (eternal, perfect, and true).

    • Christian Adaptation: This provided the “metaphysica; scaffolding” for the divide between Earth (flawed/sinful) and Heaven (perfect/divine).

    • Body vs. Soul: Established the idea that the soul is immortal and “trapped” in a physical body, leading to the Christian focus on spiritual purity over bodily desires.

  • Analogy of Charioteer

    • The Charioteer: Represents Reason and logic.

    • The White Horse: Represents Spirit, honour, and “higher” noble impulses.

    • The Black Horse: Represents Appetite, lust, and irrational physical desires.

    • The Moral Struggle: Mastery of the “Black Horse” by the Charioteer became the model for the Christian conscience struggling against “sinful nature”.

  • Eros/Agape

    • Eros- physical love

    • Agape- non-physical love

Abrahamic Religions

  • What sets Judaism apart from other religions?

    • Introduced several evolutionary shifts

    • Ethical Monotheism: Unlike the surrounding pagan cultures with many gods who often had human-like sexual appetites, Judaism introduced one God who is transcendent and defines a specific moral code.

    • The Procreative Mandate: Judaism viewed sex primarily through the lens of the commandment to “be fruitful and multiply.” This made procreation a religious duty rather than just a biological function.

    • Rejection of Ritual Sex: Many neighbouring “ferility cults” used sex as a religious rite to ensure good harvests. Judaism strictly prohibited this, separating sexuality from the worship of God.

    • Sex within Marriage: While Judaism viewed sexual pleasure within marriage as a “good” (even a right for the wife, known as Onah), it strictly regulated sex through laws of ritual purity (Niddah).

  • When, how and why did Christianity begin to consider certain sexual acts as immoral?

    • The "Fall of Man" & Original Sin: St. Augustine argued that since Adam and Eve felt shame after eating the fruit, sexual desire (lust) was the primary way "Original Sin" was transmitted from parents to children.

    • The Stoic Influence: Early Christians adopted the Stoic belief that emotions and physical pleasures should be controlled by reason. This led to the idea that sex is only "excusable" if the intent is strictly procreation.

    • The Platonic Bridge: As noted in your previous section, Plato's Dualism (Spirit = Good, Body = Bad) led Christians to believe that denying the body’s "Black Horse" (appetite) was the only way to achieve spiritual holiness.

    • The Ascetic Ideal: To prove devotion, the "ideal" Christian life became the life of a monk or nun. This shifted the view of sex from a "natural good" to a "necessary evil" for the continuation of the species.

Gnostics:

  • Closer to the Greeks (Plato)

  • All matter is impure (e.g., anything with the flesh).

  • We are born good/evil

Manachians:

  • Evil comes from the body, and our weakness/desire leads us astray.

  • Strive to abstain from sex…because it is good, proper and moral.

St. Augustin:

  • Sex is for procreation

  • Women are cursed with original sin

  • Women are subservient

Thomas Aquanias

  • What is an ‘act against nature’ and what impact did this have socially and legally?

    • “Natural” = Provreative. Anything else is “unnatural”.

    • Impact: this turned religious morality into legal status, making non-procreative sexual behaviour a crime against both God and the State.

Martin Luther & Wife

  • Was the reformation more liberal, and what shift occurred in sexual morality?

    • The Key Shift: Sex moved from being a "necessary evil" (Augustine/Aquinas) to a "natural necessity" and a gift from God, as long as it stayed within marriage.

    • Impact: This created the "Nuclear Family" model that still dominates Western social thought today.

Think about

  • How and why did Islam initially differ from Christianity in their view of sex?

    • How: Islam views marital sex as a positive religious deed and a foretaste of paradise; Christianity historically viewed it as a "necessary evil" for procreation.

    • Why: Islam has no tradition of clerical celibacy. The Prophet Muhammad was married, making marriage the spiritual ideal rather than a "lesser" path than celibacy.

  • What do we know of Native American sexuality in N. America?

    • Two-Spirit: Recognition of more than two genders; "Two-Spirit" individuals often held revered spiritual and social roles.

    • Fluidity: General acceptance of premarital sex, divorce, and non-binary identities before European/Christian colonial influence.

  • How does Chinese or Hindu culture differ from the Abrahamic religions in regard to sexual morality?

    • Abrahamic: Legalistic. Focused on sin, divine laws, and strict procreative boundaries.

    • Chinese (Taoism): Energetic. Sex is the balancing of Yin/Yang for health and longevity.

    • Hinduism: Dharmic. Sexual pleasure (Kama) is one of the four legitimate goals of a purposeful life.

  • What are four possible underlying constructs that cut across religions and focus on perceptions of religious doctrine? (e.g., fundamentalism, intrinsic religiosity, spirituality, paranormal).

    • Fundamentalism: Strict, literal adherence to "inerrant" truths (typically more restrictive).

    • Intrinsic Religiosity: Living one's faith as an internal, sincere end in itself.

    • Spirituality: A personal search for the sacred outside of rigid institutional rules.

    • Extrinsic Religiosity: Using religion for social gain or security (outward conformity).

Contraception

How Does It Work?

  • How do different variations of the pill typically work in preventing pregnancy?

    • Suppression of Ovulation: The hormones (estrogen and/or progestin) trick the body into thinking it is already pregnant, which stops the ovaries from releasing an egg. No egg = no fertilization.

    • Thickening Cervical Mucus: Progestin makes the mucus at the cervix thick and sticky. This creates a physical barrier that makes it difficult for sperm to swim into the uterus.

    • Thinning the Endometrium: The hormones thin the lining of the uterus (endometrium). If an egg were somehow fertilized, it would be unable to implant itself and grow.

The Pill and Behavioral/Cognitive Changes

  • Pill users act as if they are: Pregnant. * Because the pill maintains high levels of synthetic hormones, the body remains in a "luteal" or pseudo-pregnant state, preventing the hormonal spikes associated with high fertility (ovulation).

  • Attractiveness Ratings of Men: * Non-pill users: During ovulation, they tend to prefer more "masculine" faces (higher testosterone markers).

    • Pill users: Tend to have a more consistent preference for less extreme masculine features (more "feminine" or companionate faces) because they do not experience the ovulatory shift.

  • Cognitive Changes: Some studies suggest small shifts in verbal fluency and spatial ability, though these are subtle. The most noted change is in partner choice and social perception.

  • Increased Estrogen & Disgust Detection: Higher estrogen levels are associated with increased sensitivity to disgust (a biological mechanism to avoid pathogens/toxins that could harm a potential pregnancy).

  • Changes in Mood and Jealousy:

    • Progesterone Impact: Synthetic progesterones (progestins) that mimic male hormones (testosterone-derived) can have a masculinizing effect on behaviour, sometimes increasing competitiveness.

    • Association with Depression: There is a documented association between pill use and increased risk of depression or mood swings, particularly in adolescents or those using progestin-only methods.

  • Who is most likely to show jealousy?

    • Pill users typically report higher levels of jealousy (specifically emotional and possessive jealousy) compared to non-pill users. This is linked to the constant high levels of synthetic progestin.

Gender

Gender/Sex Variation

  • What does it mean that a month or so after conception, the external genitalia are undifferentiated?

    • Definition: For the first ~6 weeks of development, every embryo has the same external plumbing (a genital tubercle, folds, and swelling).

    • The Meaning: At this stage, you cannot tell the sex of the embryo by looking at its external parts; they have the potential to become either a penis/scrotum or a clitoris/labia, depending on which hormones are introduced later.

  • You don’t need to know the figures, but what is the difference between the Müllerian ducts and the Wolffian ducts?

  • If the Y chromosome is damaged or absent, what happens?

  • Why is the SRY gene important for both genetic males/females in directing sexual development?

    • Recall that:

      • SRY GENE: Causes precursor cells in the embryo to develop into Sertoli cells (produce anti-mullerian hormone) and Leydig cells (produce testosterone), which cause the gonads to develop into testes.