MYSTERY OF SEXUAL ATTRACTION

Philosophers are well advised to stay off the topic of sex. There are some things you can philosophize about, and other things that are 'best allowed to remain a mystery'.

That observation has not stopped Roger Scruton from analysing the nature of sex in his book Sexual Desire. His main point is that the human act of sexual intercourse has a meaning which distinguishes it from the act of coitus. The pursuit of sex is not a pursuit of pleasure per se but rather an expression of desire for the other — a real or imagined sexual partner.

For those who are happy to leave sex or the roots of sexual attraction unanalysed, one can at least try to think clearly about issues involved; for example, in seeking genital enhancement through plastic and cosmetic surgery.

It is difficult to argue with the claim that a tighter vagina, or longer penis, from the point of view of either the subject or his or her partner will increase the physical pleasure gained from sexual intercourse — if that is what they both believe.

Equally, there are many other relevant factors, as therapists and counsellors never tire of pointing out, which have nothing to do with one's natural — or unnatural — endowments which lead to sexual satisfaction in a partnership.

Human genitalia are the best counter-example to the view that beauty is linked to attraction. A human body, or face, can be beautiful. Taken purely on its own, a penis or vagina is neither beautiful nor ugly, except perhaps in the extended sense that all objects of nature are 'beautiful' to the biologist.

It is more the fact of nakedness — revealing oneself to the other — rather than the nature of what the naked person reveals that triggers and excites sexual desire. The idea that one would be more desirable if one had a more shapely vagina or penis is a myth.

© Geoffrey Klempner 2008