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Moral Philosophy: Thomas A. Mappes - Sexual Morality
By Jason Cangialosi of Associated Content
Moral Philosophy: Ethics from Socrates to Sex
A Collection of Ethical Theories in a Nutshell as a Springboard to Moral Philosophy. This entry takes a brief look at Thomas A. Mappes's ethical theory of Sexual Morality. Thomas A. Mappes - Sexual Morality...(1992) In the politics of engaging in a sexual act Mappes defines when, in a Kantian sense (See Kant's Categorical Imperative below), one is being used for another's ends. It is morally acceptable to engage another in sex, as a pleasurable end, except when their decision is undermined by misinformation or coercion. This is what Mappes designates as voluntary, informed consent in the decision. To underline the complexity of the matter he gives the example of a child, who may voluntarily consent in their decision, yet it must be questioned if the child is fully informed. This is a form of deception or withholding information from a person's decision. In Mappes' further examples, "threats" are described as distinctly different from "offers", but a threat may sometimes be posed as an offer. Mappes's approach to Sexual Morality is derived from the Kantian Categorical Imperative. Philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote that our actions are imperatives in that they are what ought and ought not to be done. An imperative can be either hypothetical or categorical. The categorical imperative is an action that is done for the sake of itself and not towards another end. Within the categorical imperative, the maxim of the action should be considered a universal law. Meaning that how we act in a situation or towards another being should be able to be applied to how all others should act. A hypothetical imperative in which the will has a mean to another end differs from the categorical, which is a will without means to another end. Herein stems Kant's notion that the only good thing is a good will and that we should only treat others as the ends in the means itself and not as means to our own ends.
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Contributor's Note
Note - These summaries are based on a source reading of Daniel Bonevac's "Today's Moral Issues: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives" (Mayfield 2002)
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This intel first appeared on: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/30181/moral_philosophy_eth...
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Collection of Ethical Theories in a Nutshell as a Springboard to Moral Philosophy
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