PHIL 200 Chapter Notes -Voyeurism
12 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
both necessary and sufficient to qualify normal desire as sexual.
Of course, we may want to express other feelings through sexual acts in various contexts; but
without the desire for the physical contact in and for itself, or when it is sought for other reasons,
activities in which contact is involved are not predominantly sexual.
The desire for physical contact in itself, without the wish to express affection or other feelings
through it, is sufficient to render sexual the activity of the agent which fulfills it.
Various activities with this goal alone, such as kissing and caressing in certain contexts, qualify as
sexual even without the presence of genital symptoms of sexual excitement.
The latter are not therefore necessary criteria for sexual activity.
It might seem too broad in leading us to interpret physical contact as sexual desire in activities such
as football and other contact sports.
In these cases the desire is not for contact with another body per se, it is not directed toward a
particular person for that purpose, and it is not the goal of the activity-the goal is winning or
exercising or knocking someone down or displaying one's prowess.
If the desire is purely for contact with another specific person's body, then to interpret it as sexual
does not seem an exaggeration.
A slightly more difficult case is that of a baby's desire to be cuddled and our natural response in
wanting to cuddle it.
In the case of the baby, the desire may be simply for the physical contact, for the pleasure of the
caresses.
We may characterize this desire, especially in keeping with Freudian theory, as sexual or
protosexual.
It will differ nevertheless from full-fledged sexual desire in being more amorphous, not directed
outward toward another specific person's body.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Both necessary and sufficient to qualify normal desire as sexual. The desire for physical contact in itself, without the wish to express affection or other feelings through it, is sufficient to render sexual the activity of the agent which fulfills it. Various activities with this goal alone, such as kissing and caressing in certain contexts, qualify as sexual even without the presence of genital symptoms of sexual excitement. The latter are not therefore necessary criteria for sexual activity. It might seem too broad in leading us to interpret physical contact as sexual desire in activities such as football and other contact sports. If the desire is purely for contact with another specific person"s body, then to interpret it as sexual does not seem an exaggeration. A slightly more difficult case is that of a baby"s desire to be cuddled and our natural response in wanting to cuddle it.
