One Body but Many Kinds of Sex and Procreation: A Liberal Response

David Archard

doi:10.18290/rf.2015.63.3-6

Published : 2015-09-30

Vol. 63 No. 3 (2015)

One Body but Many Kinds of Sex and Procreation: A Liberal Response

David Archard

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rf.2015.63.3-6

Abstract

I contrast a liberal and a conservative approach to the morality of sex, endorsing the former with a concession as to the special nature of sex, and note Pruss’ philosophical and theological endorsement of the latter. I criticize his argumentative strategy in three regards: first, he defends Christian love as equivalent to benevolence; second, he allows for only a moral evaluation of sex; third, he moves too quickly from some factual claims to others, and thence to normative conclusions. His account of the moral impermissibility of non-veridical pleasures trades on ambiguities in ‘real’ pleasure.

I respond to three arguments Pruss offers against IVF: gamete donors can discharge their parental obligations; reproduction need not only be by coitus; and those who use fertility treatment need not thereby do wrong in treating any resultant child as an ‘artefact’.

I conclude with critical observations about the distance between Pruss’ views and those commonly held by most people, including increasing numbers of Catholics.

Keywords:

sexual ethics, sex, procreation, Alexander R. Pruss

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Archard, D. (2015). One Body but Many Kinds of Sex and Procreation: A Liberal Response. Roczniki Filozoficzne, 63(3), 75–85. https://doi.org/10.18290/rf.2015.63.3-6

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References

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