Comments on Philosophy, et cetera: Seduction

Yeah, that sounds right. If one means to communica...

2007-08-19T22:53:00.000-04:00

Yeah, that sounds right. If one means to communicate rather than manipulate, my objections disappear.

The answer to this depends on how you define seduc...

2007-08-19T22:46:00.000-04:00

The answer to this depends on how you define seduction, doesn't it?

If you define seduction as attempting to send a false picture of yourself, deceiving the other party into believing you're a more passionate/loving/romantic person than you really are, then yes, I'd agree that something immoral is being done.

But maybe seduction could be seen as more akin to rational argument. By sending your love flowers and chocolates, serenading them from their balcony by moonlight, and so on, you're trying to send the message that you really are a sensitive, romantic person who values their happiness. In that case, rather than deceiving, you're trying to display some normally non-visible inner quality. I can't see any ethical concern about that.

This reminds me of a quote of Sellars' along the l...

2007-08-18T18:36:00.000-04:00

This reminds me of a quote of Sellars' along the lines of "In philosophy, as in life, one can be seduced many times before becoming sophisticated."

I'm not quite sure what the question is, perhaps i...

2007-08-18T08:58:00.000-04:00

I'm not quite sure what the question is, perhaps it's multiple questions.

(1) "the seducer seeks to entice the target into acting against their better judgment"--I don't think that case generalizes easily, nor do I think it describes all seduction. Assuming that I'm not a total creep, abusive, or completely undesirable, I don't think convincing a woman to date me is going against her better judgment. It's hard to see what "better judgment" would be based on when we're talking about sexual relations if its not based on convincing the other person that you're all right.

(2) I don't know Coughlan, but the example in this paragraph makes one as why someone is seeking a submissive role, and should another person encourage/exploit that submissive behavior.

(3) Another persons desires cannot be known without asking them or without understanding that person; and if we are talking about seduction, I assume the two people involved are only recently acquainted.

(4) The default position should seem obvious: respect the Other, treat h/er as a human being. Again, I don't think normal sexual relationships seek primarily the subjugation of an individual; rather, that is more of a by-product of faulty expectations (cf. de Beauvoir on "The Myth of Woman", Second Sex).