Russell: Our Sexual Ethics

(Originally written September 11, 2005 in Book 2)

Why I am not a Christian
Bertrand Russell
1957

Our sexual ethics

Sex is still viewed by many in an irrational way.

Monogamy is nearly impossible in modern times. Monogamy can be assisted by living in a secluded area and by the fear of sin. Public opinion can also keep people monogamous.

The difficulty of arriving at a workable sexual ethic arises from the conflict between the impulse to jealous and the impulse to polygamy.

Jealousy can be lessened by removing the stigma in society that goes along with unfaithfulness.

Fatherhood and marriage must pass away for women to be completely sexually liberated.

If marriage and paternity are to survive than a compromise between complete promiscuity and lifelong monogamy must be made.

It is unhealthy for women to have children before 20 and unhealthy for men to marry before 30. It's better that the young have considerable sexual freedom if kids can be avoided.

Divorce should be easy and blameless.

Women sho8uld work when they are wives because otherwise they are gigolos.

Jealousy is the driving force in sexual morality. Modesty is the second force behind our current sexual ethics.

Morality exists in the entire World, at least a certain type of culturally accepted morality.

Asceticism is an impulse which seems to come into play only when a society reaches a certain point of civilization.

The old sexual ethic was effective for a man-dominated world because it kept wives subdued. With the liberation of women, one of two things must change in our sexual ethics. Either men must be held monogamous like women or women must be set free of monogamy, like men are.

Our new sexual ethics will form more effectively and quickly if we continue to weaken the taboo on sexual knowledge.

"In seeking the new ethic of sexual behavior, therefore, we must not ourselves be dominated by the ancient irrational passion which gave rise to the old ethic" (Russell, 175).

The old ethic had come to good maxims, but accidentally

 Since the old ethic has some good maxims we mustn't abandon the old ethic completely but include the maxims that are capable of producing the promotion of human happiness.

There is no good reason to shelter children from sexual knowledge.

The child who is told what he wants to know and allowed to see his parents naked will have no pruriencey and no obsession of a sexual kind" (Russell, 176).

Ignorance of sex is dangerous for the growth of a child into adulthood.

There is no reason to only explain the physiological effects of sex or to tie it and box it in the constraints of marriage.