Has the work of Alfred C. Kinsey been forgotten?
If you haven't seen the 2004 Bill Condon film, you should. You might remember Condon from _Gods and Monsters_ fame. _Kinsey_ depicts the life of the sexologist, and the reception of his controversial works on human sexuality. Condon portrays Kinsey's religious devotion that the Indiana Professor had to his work.
One of the classic criticisms of _Sexual Behavior in the Human Male_ was that Kinsey focused exclusively on the orgasm and ignored the emotional impact on humans from sexual contact. Kinsey, himself, said that it was impossible to measure love. Condon's film shows the implications of Kinsey's attitude and its disastrous consequences. However, the film leaves the viewer with a positive impression. Kinsey speaks to a woman who was able to explore a relationship with a female co-worker, and find happiness.
Despite problems with his research methods, Kinsey helped improve sex education, his research helped to spur legal change, and began a national dialogue on topics relating to human sexuality.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Weren't our Founding Fathers Christians?
No.
A misconception exists in this country that the founding fathers of the United States were Christians. Although some were, most were not. The major figures in our history were deists.
The great leaders of this country, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, James Madison, John Adams, and Thomas Paine, were British subjects who were highly educated. As such, these men would have been indoctrinated in philosophical thought of the eighteenth century enlightenment.
Originating from Hobbes and Locke, Natural Rights Philosophy espoused the theory that one can come into contact with the truth of inalienable rights by means of reason. In the state of nature, persons congregated together to form government in order to protect these rights. These individuals initiated a contract between ruler and ruled. Any reference to God in The Declaration of Independence was based on a deistic notion of God as absentee landlord.
A misconception exists in this country that the founding fathers of the United States were Christians. Although some were, most were not. The major figures in our history were deists.
The great leaders of this country, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, James Madison, John Adams, and Thomas Paine, were British subjects who were highly educated. As such, these men would have been indoctrinated in philosophical thought of the eighteenth century enlightenment.
Originating from Hobbes and Locke, Natural Rights Philosophy espoused the theory that one can come into contact with the truth of inalienable rights by means of reason. In the state of nature, persons congregated together to form government in order to protect these rights. These individuals initiated a contract between ruler and ruled. Any reference to God in The Declaration of Independence was based on a deistic notion of God as absentee landlord.
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