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Goldman on Plain Sex

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Notes on Alan Goldman's "Plain Sex"
Two Lessons about Ethical Thinking
(1) Many ethical disagreements hinge upon disagreements about facts, not about moral principles.
(2) Being a moral objectivist needn't mean being morally conservative.
Both lessons help limit the appeal of moral relativism.
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(1) Many ethical disagreements hinge upon disagreements about facts, not about moral principles.
Goldman claims that views about immoral sexual behaviour are rooted in our definition of sexual behaviour & desire.
Goldman criticizes 'Means-End' Analyses
i. The end (i.e., purpose) of sex is reproduction. ii. The end is the expression of love iii. The end is communication iv. The end is interpersonal awareness. …show more content…

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(2) Being a moral objectivist needn't mean being morally conservative.
Goldman considers both Deontological (i.e., Kantian) & Consequentialist (i.e., Utilitarian) ways of considering sexual morality.
(a) Utilitarianism
The moral rightness and wrongness of an action is determined by how much happiness it produces in total.
Thus, the rightness or wrongness of a sexual

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