The mismeasure of desire: the science, theory, and ethics of sexual orientation

New York: Oxford University Press (1999)
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Abstract

In the last decade, fierce controversy has arisen over the nature of sexual orientation. Scientific research, religious views, increasingly ambiguous gender roles, and the growing visibility of sexual minorities have sparked impassioned arguments about whether our sexual desires are hard-wired in our genes or shaped by the changing forces of society. In recent years scientific research and popular opinion have favored the idea that sexual orientations are determined at birth, but philosopher and educator Edward Stein argues that much of what we think we know about the origins of sexual desire is probably wrong. Stein provides a comprehensive overview of such research on sexual orientation and shows that it is deeply flawed. Stein argues that this research assumes a picture of sexual desire that reflects unquestioned cultural stereotypes rather than cross-cultural scientific facts, and that it suffers from serious methodological problems. He considers whether sexual orientation is even amenable to empirical study and asks if it is useful for our understanding of human nature to categorize people based on their sexual desires. Perhaps most importantly, Stein examines some of the ethical issues surrounding such research, including gay and lesbian civil rights and the implications of parents trying to select or change the sexual orientation of their children. The Mismeasure of Desire offers a reasoned, accessible, and incisive examination of contemporary thinking about one of the most hotly debated issues of our time and adds a compelling voice of dissent to prevailing--and largely unexamined--assumptions about human sexuality.

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Citations of this work

What Is Sexual Orientation?Robin A. Dembroff - 2016 - Philosophers' Imprint 16.
XIV—Sexual Orientation: What Is It?Kathleen Stock - 2019 - Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 119 (3):295-319.
A field guide to social construction.Ron Mallon - 2006 - Philosophy Compass 2 (1):93–108.
Queer and Straight.Matthew Andler - 2022 - In Clare Chambers, Brian D. Earp & Lori Watson (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Sex and Sexuality.
Hysteria, race, and phlogiston. A model of ontological elimination in the human sciences.David Ludwig - 2014 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 45 (1):68-77.

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