Attraction: creating a moral structure. Can it be done?

[Nistan]

have a philosphical question. Do you guys think that we will ever create a morality for how we should feel attracted?

 

Before, we thought that most of our actions are somewhat from a hidden source whitin us or from a higher being. Over the centuries we have whilted away at that notion. Today, we see our feelings as quite mundane. We acknowledge that we have feelings but we are also free not to act on them There is no fate or anything divine in them. That have made it easier to take responsibility on our feelings.

I think that is why humanity lives in its most peaceful era ever.

I think that attraction is the last bastion of the magical.

So lets say that we start to learn about things like: How much you can and can not change what you are attracted to, how you developed your attractions, etc.

 

Do you think that this will change how and what we think is acceptable in attraction?

[january2011]

Do you think that this will change how and what we think is acceptable in attraction?

 

It already has. Homosexuality is an obvious one. We are still going through a transition period in many parts of the world, but homosexuality has become much more 'acceptable' in the last few decades. In some countries, the legislation on discrimination has been amended to take into account changing attitudes on homosexuality.

 

My knowledge of the literature is patchy, but I remember reading somewhere that some of the sexual practices of the Greeks and Romans involved same-sex unions and homosexuality was an 'acceptable' part of society in those days. So it would seem that we are coming full circle.

Edited April 26, 2012 by january2011

[Nistan]

Yeah, what's happening with the LBGT community worldwide is a good example of what I am talking about.

But do you think that we will be more unmagical in our personal life aswell?

 

i think most humans are sexual cameleons(best term I couldcome up with). What we are attracted by are genetic. But those triggers are extremly broad. Basically: man like woman or man or both or not(asexual), and vice versa. how we narrow what we are attracted to is because of external presures in our society. we basically change colours to fit our enviorment

 

This can be seen as a liberation. But that doesn't have to be true. If we remove the magic, whats left but a is a psychological need? A society that aknowledges the mundane might also start to frown on some things in the matingsphere.

Perhaps a deeper knowledge of what triggers your attraction might make it more acceptable to be into kink. But at the same time start to frown on being to picky when choosing a mate(or more). this because BDSM might not hurt anybody when it's consensuall but this data shows that most people are damaged because of pickines.

Im not saying that this is so. I just want to have a debate.

Cheers,

Nistan

[january2011]

I'm not sure about bringing magic into it.

 

My wider reading suggests that we are focusing more and more on individualisation, but on a global scale. Personal freedom and the right to choose seem to be driving a lot of what's going on in the world.

 

With regard to psychological needs, there is still a lot that we don't understand about the brain and connecting the building blocks at the physiological level (let alone at the genetic level) to top-level abstract concepts such as behaviour and attitudes is still very problematic.

 

All I know is that attitudes and behaviour will change as society changes. And yes, this could be done through academic research and legislation, but it may take a while to filter down to the general populus - possibly even a generation or two.

[Nistan]

Sorry for my tardiness. Had stuff to do.

 

I'm not sure about bringing magic into it.

 

By magic i mean that we see the attraction as something deep in us that is unexplained and without our control. Magic as in destiny or fate. Something beyond your control.

 

This belief creates such a hostile envorionment. Like when we didn't know so much about diseases.

Acctually I see alot of similarities with the shunning and victimblaming of the sick in olden times and how we avt around people that have difficulties with forming relationships today.

I think it is because everybody is so uncertain about why things are as they are. We are mean to such people in the belief that if we show how different we are this might never happen to us.

 

This is why we have things like 'the rules crowd(clarification )' or PUAs. It irks me to say this but they are probably the best choises for alot of people because they acctually do fieldwork. They are basically shamans. And will probably become a stopgap.

 

My wider reading suggests that we are focusing more and more on individualisation, but on a global scale. Personal freedom and the right to choose seem to be driving a lot of what's going on in the world.

 

With regard to psychological needs, there is still a lot that we don't understand about the brain and connecting the building blocks at the physiological level (let alone at the genetic level) to top-level abstract concepts such as behaviour and attitudes is still very problematic.

 

People that are not asexual and live without sex seem to be very unhappy with the situation. I think that there is a need to get some sort of sexual closeness.

 

My personal opinion is that everyone should bee free to believe anything they want. But i don't see anything wrong in having a society that passive agressively punish peoples choises that perhaps harm the collective. An example is that a person have it harder to make friends or be accepted in social gatherings etc.

[threebyfate]

Oh oh, systemizing bedroom behaviour. No thanks! It's no one's business what people choose to do, if it's between two consenting human adults.

 

This is where morality should be taken by the short-hairs and shoved up the butt of busy bodies.

[january2011]

Not everybody is uncertain about why things are the way they are. There are people who have very strong beliefs about why and how things are (and should be) and they are very certain about those beliefs.

 

People are free to believe what they want. But whether or not they should be allowed to practise everything that they believe in, is another thing altogether. Particularly with respect to beliefs that cause harm to other people, as you stated. I don't see it as passive-aggressive though.

 

Just going back to your OP, we already have a morality on how we should feel attracted. Part of me feels that we're going round in circles a little bit and I wonder what it is that you're really wanting to ask but possibly afraid to ask.

Edited April 27, 2012 by january2011