Is There Still a Secular Virtue of Chastity?
The virtue of chastity has traditionally been portrayed as an excellent personal disposition towards the ideal ordering of sexual desire such that the agent desires that which is actually good for both the self and others affected by his or her sexual desires and actions. From the Stoics to the Enlightenment thinkers it had been thought that chastity was a valuable virtue that was worth developing for the sake of both self and others based entirely upon secular reasons. Yet, that view is less common today. Instead, chastity is sometimes portrayed as an unnecessary ideal with few secular benefits that could not be otherwise obtained.
Keynote Speaker: Jennifer Herdt (Yale University): “Chastity and the Well Lived Life”
Potential topics include:
The Argument against Chastity
Is There a Secular Virtue of Chastity?
Which Virtue of Chastity? Choosing Between Competing Conceptions of Ideal Sexuality
Chastity and Eudaimonia: The Role of Sexual Desire in a Flourishing Life
Chastity as a Solution to Sexual Harassment in the era of #MeToo
Is Chastity Compatible with Feminism?
The Value of Chastity in Itself
The Epistemic Benefits of Chastity
Chastity and the LBGT person
Chastity and the Freedom of the Will
Humean Chastity: Unpleasant, but Useful
The Social Benefits of Chastity
Do Others Benefit from Chastity: Children, Spouses, and Society?
The Vices of Prudery / Promiscuity – How are they Harmful?
The Social Context of Chastity: Social Structures That Promote or Undermine Chastity
Chastity and Acknowledged Dependence
Is Chastity Really a Secular Virtue?
Do Contemporary Technologies Undermine the Usefulness of Chastity?
Chastity and Socio-Economic Class: Does Class Play a Role in the Importance of Chastity?
Historical or Fictional Exemplars of Chastity
Chastity and Authenticity