The Sciences of Sexual Desire
Sexual desire is the subject of numerous sciences, deploying a fantastic range of empirical methods and formulating numerous theories about its subject. However, critics—from constructivists to conservatives—claim that these sciences cannot teach us about the real nature of sexual desire. I attempt to develop a philosophical lens through which we can respect the lessons of these critics, yet still learn from the sciences of sexual desire.
Jacob Stegenga is a university lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of Medical Nihilism