Human sexuality  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
Revision as of 00:10, 15 February 2010
Jahsonic (Talk | contribs)

← Previous diff
Revision as of 12:11, 19 January 2014
Jahsonic (Talk | contribs)

Next diff →
Line 1: Line 1:
-[[Image:Fashionable contrasts James Gillray.jpg |thumb|right|200px|''[[Fashionable Contrasts]]'' ([[1792]]) by [[James Gillray]]+{| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5"
-<br>+| style="text-align: left;" |
-'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is part of the [[human sexuality]] portal]] +"the [[human sexuality|sexual impulse]] ... appears as a [[malevolent]] [[demon]] that strives to [[perversion|pervert]], confuse, and overthrow everything" [[the sexual impulse ... appears as a malevolent demon that strives to pervert, confuse, and overthrow everything|[...]]], [[Arthur Schopenhauer]], "[[The Metaphysics of Sexual Love]]"
 +<hr>
 +"[[Human sexuality]] is, quite apart from [[Christianity and sexual morality |Christian repression]]s, a highly [[questionable]] phenomenon, and belongs, at least potentially, among the [[extreme]] rather than the ordinary experiences of [[humanity]]. Tamed as it may be, sexuality remains one of the [[demon]]ic forces in human [[consciousness]] - pushing us at intervals close to [[taboo]] and [[dangerous]] [[sexual desire|desire]]s, which range from the [[impulse]] to commit sudden arbitrary [[violence]] upon another person to the voluptuous yearning for the [[extinction]] of one's consciousness, for [[death]] itself." --[[Susan Sontag]] in the "[[The Pornographic Imagination]]"
 +<hr>
 +"Sex, as we know, is a heat-seeking missile that forever [[diffusion|seeks out]] the [[new media|newest medium]] for its transmission." --(Gerard Van Der Leun, 1993)
 +|}
 +[[Image:Allegory of Chastity by Memling.jpg|thumb|200px|right|''[[Allegory of Chastity]]'' ([[1475]]) by [[Hans Memling]]]]
 +[[Image:Fashionable contrasts James Gillray.jpg |thumb|right|200px|This page '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is part of the [[human sexuality]] series<br><small>Illustration: ''[[Fashionable Contrasts]]'' (1792) by [[James Gillray]].</small>]]
{{Template}} {{Template}}
-:''[[sex]]'' 
-:"Sex, as we know, is a heat-seeking missile that forever [[diffusion|seeks out]] the [[new media|newest medium]] for its transmission." --(Gerard Van Der Leun, 1993) 
- 
-:"[[Human sexuality]] is, quite apart from [[Christian repression]]s, a highly [[questionable]] phenomenon, and belongs, at least potentially, among the [[extreme]] rather than the ordinary experiences of humanity. Tamed as it may be, sexuality remains one of the [[demon]]ic forces in human [[consciousness]] - pushing us at intervals close to [[taboo]] and [[dangerous]] [[desire]]s, which range from the [[impulse]] to commit sudden arbitrary [[violence]] upon another person to the voluptuous yearning for the [[extinction]] of one's consciousness, for [[death]] itself." --[[Susan Sontag]] in the ''[[Pornographic Imagination|The Pornographic Imagination]]'' 
'''[[Human sexuality]]''' comprises a broad range of behavior and processes, including the [[physiology|physiological]], [[psychology|psychological]], [[social]], [[culture|cultural]], [[politics|political]], [[Philosophy|philosophical]], [[ethics|ethical]], [[morality|moral]], [[theology|theological]], [[law|legal]] and [[spirituality|spiritual]] or [[religion|religious]] aspects of sex and [[human sexual behavior]]. '''[[Human sexuality]]''' comprises a broad range of behavior and processes, including the [[physiology|physiological]], [[psychology|psychological]], [[social]], [[culture|cultural]], [[politics|political]], [[Philosophy|philosophical]], [[ethics|ethical]], [[morality|moral]], [[theology|theological]], [[law|legal]] and [[spirituality|spiritual]] or [[religion|religious]] aspects of sex and [[human sexual behavior]].
==Sexuality and love== ==Sexuality and love==
-[[Human sexuality]], besides ensuring biological [[reproduction]], has important social functions: it creates physical intimacy, bonds, and hierarchies among individuals; may be directed to spiritual transcendence (according to some traditions); and in a [[hedonism|hedonistic]] sense to the enjoyment of activity involving sexual gratification. Sexual desire, or [[libido]], is experienced as a bodily urge, often accompanied by strong emotions such as love, [[ecstasy (emotion)|ecstasy]] and jealousy. The extreme importance of sexuality in the human species can be seen in a number of physical features, among them hidden ovulation, the evolution of external scrotum and penis suggesting sperm competition, the absence of an [[Baculum|os penis]], permanent [[secondary sexual characteristics]], the forming of pair bonds based on sexual attraction as a common social structure and sexual ability in females outside of ovulation. These adaptations indicate that the importance of sexuality in humans is on a par with that found in the [[Bonobo]], and that the complex human sexual behaviour has a long [[evolution]]ary history.+[[Human sexuality]], besides ensuring biological [[reproduction]], has important social functions: it creates physical intimacy, bonds, and hierarchies among individuals; may be directed to spiritual transcendence (according to some traditions); and in a [[hedonism|hedonistic]] sense to the enjoyment of activity involving sexual gratification. Sexual desire, or [[libido]], is experienced as a bodily urge, often accompanied by strong emotions such as love, [[ecstasy (emotion)|ecstasy]] and jealousy. The extreme importance of sexuality in the human species can be seen in a number of physical features, among them hidden ovulation, the evolution of external scrotum and penis suggesting sperm competition, the absence of an [[Baculum|os penis]], permanent [[secondary sexual characteristics]], the forming of pair bonds based on [[sexual attraction]] as a common social structure and sexual ability in females outside of ovulation. These adaptations indicate that the importance of sexuality in humans is on a par with that found in the [[Bonobo]], and that the complex human sexual behaviour has a long [[evolution]]ary history.
Human choices in acting on sexuality are commonly influenced by cultural norms, which vary widely. Restrictions are often determined by [[religious belief]]s or [[social custom]]s. The pioneering researcher [[Sigmund Freud]] believed that humans are born [[polymorphously perverse]], which means that any number of objects could be a source of pleasure. According to Freud, humans then pass through five stages of [[psychosexual development]] (and can fixate on any stage because of various traumas during the process). For [[Alfred Kinsey]], another influential sex researcher, people can fall anywhere along a continuous scale of [[sexual orientation]] (with only small minorities fully [[heterosexual]] or [[homosexual]]). Recent studies of neurology and genetics suggest people may be born with a predisposition to one sexual orientation or another. Human choices in acting on sexuality are commonly influenced by cultural norms, which vary widely. Restrictions are often determined by [[religious belief]]s or [[social custom]]s. The pioneering researcher [[Sigmund Freud]] believed that humans are born [[polymorphously perverse]], which means that any number of objects could be a source of pleasure. According to Freud, humans then pass through five stages of [[psychosexual development]] (and can fixate on any stage because of various traumas during the process). For [[Alfred Kinsey]], another influential sex researcher, people can fall anywhere along a continuous scale of [[sexual orientation]] (with only small minorities fully [[heterosexual]] or [[homosexual]]). Recent studies of neurology and genetics suggest people may be born with a predisposition to one sexual orientation or another.
 +==Sexuality in history==
 +:''[[History of human sexuality]]''
 +Art and artifacts from past eras help to portray human perception of sexuality of the time.
 +
 +===Ancient civilizations===
 +Many of the ancient civilisations provide evidence of developments in sexuality. In particular:
 +*[[Egypt]]: The couple [[Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum]], now buried in a joint [[Fifth dynasty of Egypt|Fifth-dynasty]] (2498–2345 BC) era tomb in [[Saqqara]], [[Egypt]], are believed to be the oldest recorded same-sex couple in human history. The Ancient Egyptians related the cult of phallus with [[Osiris]]. When Osiris' body was cut in 13 pieces, Set scattered them all over Egypt and his wife [[Isis]] retrieved all of them except one, his penis, which was swallowed by a fish (see the [[Legend of Osiris and Isis]]). The phallus was a [[symbol of fertility]], and the god [[Min (god)|Min]] was often depicted ''ithyphallic'' (with a penis).
 +
 +*[[History of sex in India|India]]: Ancient texts from [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]] such as the [[Rig Veda|Vedas]] reveal moral perspectives on sexuality, marriage and fertility prayers. The epics of ancient India, the [[Ramayana]] and [[Mahabharata]], possibly from as early as [[1400 BCE]], later influenced [[China|Chinese]], [[Japan]]ese, [[Tibet]]an and [[South East Asia]]n culture. They indicate that sex was considered a mutual duty between a married couple, but where sex was considered a private affair. The most publicly known sexual literature of India are the texts of the [[Kama Sutra|sixty-four arts]].
 +*[[Mesopotamia]]: In ancient Mesopotamia, [[Ishtar]] was the primary Goddess of life, men and women, nature and fertility, sex, sexual power and birth. Ishtar was also the goddess of war and weapons and any victory was celebrated in her temples with offerings of produce and money as well as through a feast and orgy of sex and intercourse with holy [[temple prostitute]]s.
 +*[[China]]: In the ''[[I Ching]]'' (The ''Book of Changes'', a Chinese classic text dealing with what would be in the West termed metaphysics), sexual intercourse is one of two fundamental models used to explain the world. Heaven is described as having sexual intercourse with Earth. The male lovers of early Chinese men of great political power are mentioned in one of the earliest great works of philosophy and literature, the ''[[Zhuang Zi]]''.
 +*[[Japan]]: In perhaps the earliest novel in the world, the ''[[Genji Monogatari]]'' (''[[Tale of Genji]]''), dating back to around the 11th century AD, eroticism is treated as a central part of the aesthetic life of members of the nobility.
 +*[[Greece]]: In ancient [[Greece]], the [[phallus]], often in the form of a [[herma]], was an object of worship as a symbol of fertility. One ancient Greek male idea of female sexuality was that women envied [[penis]]es of males. Wives were considered as commodity and instruments for bearing legitimate children. They had to compete sexually with [[eromenoi]], [[hetaera]]s and slaves in their own homes.
 +*[[Rome]]: Ancient Roman civilization included celebrations associated with human reproductive organs. Over time there emerged institutionalization of voluntary sex as well as prostitution. This resulted in a virtual sexual caste system in Roman civilization – different grades and degrees of sexual relationships. Apart from the legally wedded spouses, a number of males used to have [[Delicatue]], mistresses of wealthy and prominent men. The next were the Famosae, mostly the daughters and even wives of the wealthy families who enjoyed sex for its own sake. There was another class known as [[Lupae]], willing to have sexual union with anyone for a price. Copae were the serving girls in the taverns and inns and who did not mind being hired as bedmates for the night by travelers.
 +
 +===Modern developments===
 +:''[[sexology]]''
 +In contemporary academia, sexuality is studied in the fields of [[sexology]] and [[gender and sexuality studies]], among many other fields.
 +
 +Sexology, the study of sexual interests, behavior, and function, covers [[sexual development]] and [[sexual relationship]]s including [[sexual intercourse]]. It also documents the sexualities of groups such as the disabled, children, and the [[geriatric sexology|elderly]].
 +
 +[[Alfred Kinsey]] became interested in the different forms of sexual practices around 1933 when he developed the [[Kinsey Scale]], which ranges from 0 to 6, where 0 is exclusively heterosexual and 6 is exclusively homosexual. His [[Kinsey Reports]] starting with the publication of [[Sexual Behavior in the Human Male]] in 1948 and [[Sexual Behavior in the Human Female]] in 1953 contributed to the sexual revolution of the 1960s.
== See also == == See also ==
Line 21: Line 46:
*[[Sexology]] *[[Sexology]]
*[[Sexually explicit material]] *[[Sexually explicit material]]
-*''[[History of Sexuality]]'' by [[Foucault]] +*''[[History of Sexuality]]'' by [[Michel Foucault]]
* [[List of human sexuality topics]] * [[List of human sexuality topics]]
{{GFDL}} {{GFDL}}

Revision as of 12:11, 19 January 2014

"the sexual impulse ... appears as a malevolent demon that strives to pervert, confuse, and overthrow everything" [...], Arthur Schopenhauer, "The Metaphysics of Sexual Love"


"Human sexuality is, quite apart from Christian repressions, a highly questionable phenomenon, and belongs, at least potentially, among the extreme rather than the ordinary experiences of humanity. Tamed as it may be, sexuality remains one of the demonic forces in human consciousness - pushing us at intervals close to taboo and dangerous desires, which range from the impulse to commit sudden arbitrary violence upon another person to the voluptuous yearning for the extinction of one's consciousness, for death itself." --Susan Sontag in the "The Pornographic Imagination"


"Sex, as we know, is a heat-seeking missile that forever seeks out the newest medium for its transmission." --(Gerard Van Der Leun, 1993)

This page Human sexuality is part of the human sexuality seriesIllustration: Fashionable Contrasts (1792) by James Gillray.
Enlarge
This page Human sexuality is part of the human sexuality series
Illustration: Fashionable Contrasts (1792) by James Gillray.

Related e

Wikipedia
Wiktionary
Shop


Featured:

Human sexuality comprises a broad range of behavior and processes, including the physiological, psychological, social, cultural, political, philosophical, ethical, moral, theological, legal and spiritual or religious aspects of sex and human sexual behavior.

Contents

Sexuality and love

Human sexuality, besides ensuring biological reproduction, has important social functions: it creates physical intimacy, bonds, and hierarchies among individuals; may be directed to spiritual transcendence (according to some traditions); and in a hedonistic sense to the enjoyment of activity involving sexual gratification. Sexual desire, or libido, is experienced as a bodily urge, often accompanied by strong emotions such as love, ecstasy and jealousy. The extreme importance of sexuality in the human species can be seen in a number of physical features, among them hidden ovulation, the evolution of external scrotum and penis suggesting sperm competition, the absence of an os penis, permanent secondary sexual characteristics, the forming of pair bonds based on sexual attraction as a common social structure and sexual ability in females outside of ovulation. These adaptations indicate that the importance of sexuality in humans is on a par with that found in the Bonobo, and that the complex human sexual behaviour has a long evolutionary history.

Human choices in acting on sexuality are commonly influenced by cultural norms, which vary widely. Restrictions are often determined by religious beliefs or social customs. The pioneering researcher Sigmund Freud believed that humans are born polymorphously perverse, which means that any number of objects could be a source of pleasure. According to Freud, humans then pass through five stages of psychosexual development (and can fixate on any stage because of various traumas during the process). For Alfred Kinsey, another influential sex researcher, people can fall anywhere along a continuous scale of sexual orientation (with only small minorities fully heterosexual or homosexual). Recent studies of neurology and genetics suggest people may be born with a predisposition to one sexual orientation or another.

Sexuality in history

History of human sexuality

Art and artifacts from past eras help to portray human perception of sexuality of the time.

Ancient civilizations

Many of the ancient civilisations provide evidence of developments in sexuality. In particular:

  • Egypt: The couple Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum, now buried in a joint Fifth-dynasty (2498–2345 BC) era tomb in Saqqara, Egypt, are believed to be the oldest recorded same-sex couple in human history. The Ancient Egyptians related the cult of phallus with Osiris. When Osiris' body was cut in 13 pieces, Set scattered them all over Egypt and his wife Isis retrieved all of them except one, his penis, which was swallowed by a fish (see the Legend of Osiris and Isis). The phallus was a symbol of fertility, and the god Min was often depicted ithyphallic (with a penis).
  • India: Ancient texts from Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism such as the Vedas reveal moral perspectives on sexuality, marriage and fertility prayers. The epics of ancient India, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, possibly from as early as 1400 BCE, later influenced Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan and South East Asian culture. They indicate that sex was considered a mutual duty between a married couple, but where sex was considered a private affair. The most publicly known sexual literature of India are the texts of the sixty-four arts.
  • Mesopotamia: In ancient Mesopotamia, Ishtar was the primary Goddess of life, men and women, nature and fertility, sex, sexual power and birth. Ishtar was also the goddess of war and weapons and any victory was celebrated in her temples with offerings of produce and money as well as through a feast and orgy of sex and intercourse with holy temple prostitutes.
  • China: In the I Ching (The Book of Changes, a Chinese classic text dealing with what would be in the West termed metaphysics), sexual intercourse is one of two fundamental models used to explain the world. Heaven is described as having sexual intercourse with Earth. The male lovers of early Chinese men of great political power are mentioned in one of the earliest great works of philosophy and literature, the Zhuang Zi.
  • Japan: In perhaps the earliest novel in the world, the Genji Monogatari (Tale of Genji), dating back to around the 11th century AD, eroticism is treated as a central part of the aesthetic life of members of the nobility.
  • Greece: In ancient Greece, the phallus, often in the form of a herma, was an object of worship as a symbol of fertility. One ancient Greek male idea of female sexuality was that women envied penises of males. Wives were considered as commodity and instruments for bearing legitimate children. They had to compete sexually with eromenoi, hetaeras and slaves in their own homes.
  • Rome: Ancient Roman civilization included celebrations associated with human reproductive organs. Over time there emerged institutionalization of voluntary sex as well as prostitution. This resulted in a virtual sexual caste system in Roman civilization – different grades and degrees of sexual relationships. Apart from the legally wedded spouses, a number of males used to have Delicatue, mistresses of wealthy and prominent men. The next were the Famosae, mostly the daughters and even wives of the wealthy families who enjoyed sex for its own sake. There was another class known as Lupae, willing to have sexual union with anyone for a price. Copae were the serving girls in the taverns and inns and who did not mind being hired as bedmates for the night by travelers.

Modern developments

sexology

In contemporary academia, sexuality is studied in the fields of sexology and gender and sexuality studies, among many other fields.

Sexology, the study of sexual interests, behavior, and function, covers sexual development and sexual relationships including sexual intercourse. It also documents the sexualities of groups such as the disabled, children, and the elderly.

Alfred Kinsey became interested in the different forms of sexual practices around 1933 when he developed the Kinsey Scale, which ranges from 0 to 6, where 0 is exclusively heterosexual and 6 is exclusively homosexual. His Kinsey Reports starting with the publication of Sexual Behavior in the Human Male in 1948 and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female in 1953 contributed to the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

See also




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Human sexuality" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

Personal tools