On what we can call the "folk" conception of sexual orientation, sexual orientation is understood... more On what we can call the "folk" conception of sexual orientation, sexual orientation is understood as sexbased attraction, that is, as (partly) attraction on the basis of the perceived sex of the person to whom one is attracted. However, in recent discussions, philosophers have either added gender to sex as the basis of sexual orientation, or have altogether replaced sex with gender. Moreover, this addition or replacement has gone -mostly -unargued for. This paper argues that a sexbased conception of sexual orientation remains plausible because (1) it is compatible with genderbased attraction, which I argue can be understood as a preference; (2) the reasons so far on offer for adding gender to sex (or for replacing sex with gender) are not convincing; (3) we have good evolutionary and nonevolutionary reasons for thinking that sex is the basis of sexual orientation; (4) we have good reasons to not add gender as a basis of sexual orientation; and (5) a sexbased conception of sexual orientation accommodates the various sexual orientations that have recently appeared, orientations in addition to the folk two (or three) of heterosexuality, homosexuality (and bisexuality), such as pansexuality, skoliosexuality, gynsexuality, and androsexuality. What emerges is a conception of sexual orientation based on the sex of the people to whom we are attracted, but that understands sexualbased attraction in broad enough terms to include surgically altered bodies.
Philosophers have recently expressed interest in the question as to whether there is a right to s... more Philosophers have recently expressed interest in the question as to whether there is a right to sex, a right whose justification is motivated by the existence of sexually excluded people – people who suffer from involuntary long‐term sexual deprivation (owing, say, to a chronic medical condition). This paper, after offering preliminary remarks about what a right to sex and its objects might be and who might have this right, surveys seven justifications for the right: linkage arguments, need, well‐being, a minimally decent life, being a basic good, justice, and relationships. The paper argues that a right to sex does not likely exist because none of the justifications are convincing. The paper then argues that despite the lack of justification, and because sexual exclusion is a problem worthy of attention, people's sexual needs can be addressed through the lens of goals instead of rights. This not only takes sexual exclusion seriously enough but also avoids the crucial problems a...
Chastity
The International Encyclopedia of Ethics, May 10, 2023
Sex, Pleasure, and Morality
Love and Sex
Oxford University Press eBooks, Feb 6, 2017
This chapter argues that sex and love are quite different from each other. Sepicifically, it argu... more This chapter argues that sex and love are quite different from each other. Sepicifically, it argues that sexual desire is different kind of entity from romantic love, especially when the latter is understood as the settled abiding commitment between long-term partners. It also explores the normative connections (moral permissibility, obligation, and supererogation) between non-romantic forms of love—friendship, familial, and agapic love—and sexual desire, as this is an under-researched area. Furthermore, the essay argues that sexual desire’s goals clash with the goals of many forms of love because the goal of sexual desire is self-interested whereas those of love are not.
Sexual Orientations, Sexual Preferences, and Well-Being in advance
Social Theory and Practice, 2023
A common belief is that, among our sexual dispositions, sexual orientations are important and dee... more A common belief is that, among our sexual dispositions, sexual orientations are important and deep features of who someone is. This distinguishes them from other sexual dispositions—“mere” preferences—that are thought to be trivial in comparison. Is there a way to adequately account for this distinction? What is a plausible explanation for the belief that sexual orientation is a deep and important feature of who one is? This paper defends one necessary condition for a sexual disposition to be an orientation, the well-being condition: if a sexual disposition is an orientation, then the inability to act on it lowers one’s well-being by rendering one’s life sexually deprived. The paper argues that the well-being condition better explains than other criteria the belief that orientations are important features of who one is. The paper concludes by tracing the implications of this view to the common understanding of sexual orientation.
Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Marriage
Routledge eBooks, Jan 29, 2018
Virtuous Liaisons: Care, Love, Sex, and Virtue Ethics
... upon as being weird and others often question why they would be in a marriage to begin ... Ga... more ... upon as being weird and others often question why they would be in a marriage to begin ... Gay men, some of whom are in such relationships, are often accused of not being in "real ... However, before going into the issue of how virtue ethics is relevant to these phenomena, a few ...
Sex and ethics : essays on sexuality, virtue, and the good life
Palgrave Macmillan eBooks, 2007
Introduction R.Halwani Sexual Desire and Virtue in Ancient Philosophy J.Sihvola Sexuality and the... more Introduction R.Halwani Sexual Desire and Virtue in Ancient Philosophy J.Sihvola Sexuality and the Unity of the Virtues J.Jacobs Virtue and Sex Education J.Steutel Kantian Virtue and Sexual Desire L.Denis Carnal Wisdom and Sexual Virtue N.Badhwar Radical Feminism, Sex, and Virtue M.Nussbaum Temperance P.Geach Sexual Morality R.Scruton Deliberation and Sense-Desire: The Virtue of Temperance N.J.H.Dent On the Prospects of Chastity as a Present Day Virtue D.Carr Sexual Temperance and Intemperance R.Halwani The Wrongness of Adultery: A Neo-Aristotelian Approach D.Baltzly Coming Out, Outing, and Virtue Ethics J.Stramel Virtue, Casual Sex, and Promiscuity R.Halwani Intellectual Virtue and Knowing One's Sexual Identity H.Battaly Virtue, Pornography and Sexual Health S.Kershnar Concluding Commentary A.Soble Index
The Virtue of Integrity
Is integrity a virtue? There is a powerful argument that it is not because it would be a redundan... more Is integrity a virtue? There is a powerful argument that it is not because it would be a redundant virtue -call this the “redundancy objection.” I will, however, argue that there is a plausible conception of integrity as a virtue that meets the redundancy objection. In Section I, start by providing a plausible conception of moral integrity. I then provide, in Section II, a sketch of the virtues and the virtuous person, and explain the redundancy objection. In Section III, I offer a plausible conception of integrity as a virtue: integrity is the virtue that reviews and maintains the coherence between the virtuous person’s life and moral values. In Section IV I briefly discuss the relationship between integrity and contin- ent agents. I conclude in Section V with brief remarks about the importance of the virtue of integrity
Sexual Orientations, Sexual Preferences, and Well-Being
Social Theory and Practice
A common belief is that, among our sexual dispositions, sexual orientations are important and dee... more A common belief is that, among our sexual dispositions, sexual orientations are important and deep features of who someone is. This distinguishes them from other sexual dispositions—“mere” preferences—that are thought to be trivial in comparison. Is there a way to adequately account for this distinction? What is a plausible explanation for the belief that sexual orientation is a deep and important feature of who one is? This paper defends one necessary condition for a sexual disposition to be an orientation, the well-being condition: if a sexual disposition is an orientation, then the inability to act on it lowers one’s well-being by rendering one’s life sexually deprived. The paper argues that the well-being condition better explains than other criteria the belief that orientations are important features of who one is. The paper concludes by tracing the implications of this view to the common understanding of sexual orientation.
The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century
Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy
The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century
Sex, Pleasure, and Morality
What Is Marriage?
Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Marriage, 2018
Sexual Objectification
Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Marriage, 2018
Is Marriage Necessary
Sex and ethics : essays on sexuality, virtue, and the good life
Introduction R.Halwani Sexual Desire and Virtue in Ancient Philosophy J.Sihvola Sexuality and the... more Introduction R.Halwani Sexual Desire and Virtue in Ancient Philosophy J.Sihvola Sexuality and the Unity of the Virtues J.Jacobs Virtue and Sex Education J.Steutel Kantian Virtue and Sexual Desire L.Denis Carnal Wisdom and Sexual Virtue N.Badhwar Radical Feminism, Sex, and Virtue M.Nussbaum Temperance P.Geach Sexual Morality R.Scruton Deliberation and Sense-Desire: The Virtue of Temperance N.J.H.Dent On the Prospects of Chastity as a Present Day Virtue D.Carr Sexual Temperance and Intemperance R.Halwani The Wrongness of Adultery: A Neo-Aristotelian Approach D.Baltzly Coming Out, Outing, and Virtue Ethics J.Stramel Virtue, Casual Sex, and Promiscuity R.Halwani Intellectual Virtue and Knowing One's Sexual Identity H.Battaly Virtue, Pornography and Sexual Health S.Kershnar Concluding Commentary A.Soble Index
This paper is a review essay of the recently published Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Sex an... more This paper is a review essay of the recently published Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Sex and Sexuality, edited by Brian D. Earp, Clare Chambers, and Lori Watson (2022). The anthology consists of an introduction and 40 essays, and it has eight parts: (I) What Is Sex? Is Sex Good?; (II) Sexual Orientations; (III) Sexual Autonomy and Consent; (IV) Regulating Sexual Relationships; (V) Pathologizing Sex and Sexuality; (VI) Contested Desires; (VII) Objectification and Commercialized Sex; and (VIII) Technology and the Future of Sex. The anthology contains essays mostly by philosophers and a few by non-philosophers (which can be a double-edged sword for a philosophy book). Some essays survey a topic, while others defend specific theses. I argue that the quality of the essays varies, but that all are thought-provoking. Although the essays that deal with sexual orientation and race tend to be on the weaker side, those that deal with technology, objectification, incest, pedophilia, sex w...
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Papers by Raja Halwani