In my view, the barrage of rules, tabus and anthemas surrounding sexuality have most to do with reproductive (and consequently, inheritance) issues - decade long responsibility for raising a child, guarantees for the provision of child-rearers, guarantees for paternity, societal imperatives regarding the inheritance of wealth and power, etc. There are also possible aspects buried deep in our personalities (if we accord any validity to the theories of Freud), at any rate, issues which are very deep in the social vector of our identity. All of which lead to a placing of all kinds of precepts concerning sexuality and its expression in the moral area.
One of the greatest revolutions of the 20th. Century was the growth in personal control of human productivity. That women can now control their own fertility is a factor which is having a huge effect in all sorts of areas in our societies - a paradigm shift, many of the consequences of which are still not clear. The pill (and other reliable contraceptive methods) have rendered many of the old strictures surrounding sexuality meaningless. In general, I would hold the view that what consenting adults do with each other is - a result of the above - something which no longer needs any sort of societal sanctions (or approval). This does not quite free the area of sexuality from moral questions, however. If I have (for whatever reason) promised sexual fidelity to someone else and then sleep with another person, then this may well be regarded as immoral. The difference, of course, is that that which is immoral is not so much the act of sex with another as the breaking of a promise. Consequences, particularly if dependent children in a familial unit are effected, can be extreme. Still, the sexual urge and its expression is something very powerful for us humans. We are on a journey of exploration into the unknown. Francis On 7 Apr., 16:34, Michael Berkovits <[email protected]> wrote: > Is morality only what we feel is good for us? Or is there a > > > greater good to consider? > > Who here thinks that sexual "immorality," like homosexuality or > incest, is immoral? I present the point because I think it beyond > obvious that neither is, nor is any brand of sexual > "immorality" (except for things like forced sex, which is immoral not > because it has anything to do with sex but because it has to do with > coercion) but obviously many people in this world disagree. > > On Apr 7, 10:24 am, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I doubt that many people would see loan interest as immoral. Yet you > > see it this way because it goes against what you feel is good for > > you. Is morality only what we feel is good for us? Or is there a > > greater good to consider? > > > On Apr 7, 2:55 am, iam deheretic <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Frayed knot is an interesting way of putting it. > > > > I think society is more immoral than moral. I think most people agree that > > > killing some one is wrong. My problem with morality is when some one > > > charges excessive interest like in credit cards (my wife and I have one -- > > > and it is for emergencies only -- then immediately paid off ) justifying > > > this as sound business when in reality to me it seems like this greed is a > > > way of slowly killing some one, or Like ( i do have a very good health > > > insurance.) when I ended up in the hospital a few years back in the USA > > > and > > > the bill exceeded $8,000. for 24 hour stay.. basically to get my heart > > > beat > > > stabilized and watched. I saw 2 doctors for a total of 10 minutes.. > > > If I did not have insurance i would have an huge medical bill and to pay > > > it > > > I would have had to take food of my table to pay the bill. To me if a > > > person > > > is forced to pay an excessive amount to cover a bill cutting back on > > > normal > > > expenses to pay it,, the hospital is killing that person. > > > > or by charging excessive rent.. or a myriad of other ways of killing some > > > one legally .. the slower the better.. > > > > On my savings account I am paid a meager 2.6 % but if I want to borrow > > > money > > > I have to pay 9.8% If I depended upon that interest for my living again > > > corporate greed would be killing me.. and this difference is immoral yet > > > it > > > is easily justified as business. > > > > I think people many people only want to appear to be moral yet at the > > > same > > > time want to use business or corporations to hide their immorality. > > > > The only conclusion I can reach is people prefer to be immoral. Just > > > talking > > > the talk not walking the walk of morality. > > > > On Mon, Apr 6, 2009 at 12:21 PM, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> > > > wrote: > > > > > Evil reconciled to good? Frayed knot! > > > > > On Apr 5, 10:18 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Why is evil always so hard to nail down or why does it seem that no > > > > > one really wants to identify it but simply dissect the potentiality of > > > > > what it may define. You don't consider anything on the video as evil > > > > > but do recognize it as bad, horrifying and obscene, which basically > > > > > covers the face of evil, but rather bypass evil representation to > > > > > bring attention to religious aspects, which by the way I agree with > > > > > 100%, don't burn your steak here. The dark ages are still upon us > > > > > brother and while technology creates a vision of advancement, > > > > > attitudes and behaviours create a different picture, the picture of > > > > > reality, of good and of evil. I feel we must somehow find resolve in > > > > > the issue of what is evil. We have here a collection of brilliant > > > > > minds, myself excluded lol, and so we can somehow be assertive in our > > > > > resolve. I find too many threads wind up as fray ends. Which reminds > > > > > me of a thread that walked into a bar, the bartender said "we don't > > > > > serve threads", so the thread walked out, shredded out it's end and > > > > > tied itself into a loop, walked back into the bar, the bartender > > > > > noticed and immediately and irately said, "damn, I told you we don't > > > > > serve threads in here", the thread responded "I'm not a thread" at > > > > > which the bartender scowled, "you are so" and so the thread having the > > > > > last word said "nope, I'm a frayed knot". > > > > > > On Apr 5, 12:26 pm, gruff <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Thanks Slip. I don't really consider what is going on in the video > > > > > > and what it represents as evil. It is bad, it is horrifying, it is > > > > > > obscene, but it is also no more than religion battling it's fiercest > > > > > > foe -- education and enlightenment. On the other hand, religion > > > > > > considers education and enlightenment evil -- the work of the devil. > > > > > > > On Apr 4, 2:05 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > Thanks for the video gruff, it was overwhelmingly sad but very > > > > > > > enlightening as to the seriousness and the dilemma of these > > > > > > > people. > > > > It > > > > > > > takes me back over to the other thread, Does Evil Exist. One only > > > > > > > needs to watch this video for the answer. > > > > > > > > On Apr 4, 3:38 pm, gruff <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Here is a good reason for moral behavior -- call it what you > > > > > > > > like > > > > (we > > > > > > > > are our brother's keeper, the golden rule, do unto others, > > > > > > > > etc.) -- > > > >http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/02/22/world/asia/1194838044017/cl... > > > > -- > > > ( > > > ) > > > I_D Allan --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
