The Moral Defense of Homosexuality: Why Every Argument against Gay Rights Fails PDF
Preview The Moral Defense of Homosexuality: Why Every Argument against Gay Rights Fails
THE MORAL DEFENSE OF HOMOSEXUALITY THE MORAL DEFENSE OF HOMOSEXUALITY Why Every Argument against Gay Rights Fails Chris Meyers ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD Lanham • Boulder • New York • London PublishedbyRowman&Littlefield AwhollyownedsubsidiaryofTheRowman&LittlefieldPublishingGroup, Inc. 4501ForbesBoulevard,Suite200,Lanham,Maryland20706 www.rowman.com UnitA,WhitacreMews,26-34StannaryStreet,LondonSE114AB Copyright©2015byRowman&Littlefield Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorby anyelectronicormechanicalmeans,includinginformationstorageandretriev- alsystems,withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewer whomayquotepassagesinareview. BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationInformationAvailable LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataAvailable Meyers,Chris,1968– Themoraldefenseofhomosexuality:whyeveryargumentagainstgayrightsfails/ChrisMeyers. pagescm Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN978-1-4422-4931-8(cloth:alk.paper)—ISBN978-1-4422-4932-5(electronic) 1.Gayrights—Philosophy.2.Gayrights—UnitedStates.3.Homosexuality—Moralandethical aspects.I.Title. HQ76.5.M492015 323.3'2640973—dc23 2014050081 TMThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsof AmericanNationalStandardforInformationSciencesPermanenceofPaper forPrintedLibraryMaterials,ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992. PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica CONTENTS Preface vii 1 Introduction 1 2 WhatIsMorality? 23 3 MoralTheoryandDivineCommand 45 4 DestinyorChoice?Biology,SexualOrientation,and Responsibility 63 5 HomosexualityandMoralityI—TheNaturalLawArgument 91 6 HomosexualityandMoralityII—TheTeleological ArgumentandMoralIntuitionistism 115 7 DebunkingPsychologicalExplanationsforDisapprovalof Homosexuality 133 8 Homosexuality,Consequences,andJusticeI—Slippery SlopeArguments 153 9 Homosexuality,Consequences,andJusticeII:AllegedBad ConsequencesofGay-TolerantPublicPolicies 173 10 ArgumentsinFavorofHomosexualityandGayRights 197 Notes 221 Bibliography 239 Index 243 AbouttheAuthor 247 v PREFACE I t is common practice in a preface for the author to tell some story about how he or she came to write the book. In a book like this one— defending the morality of homosexuality and arguing for gay rights— one might expect that story to involve personal struggles of discrimina- tion or sentimental descriptions of loved ones who are gay. But the motivation for the writing of this book is not like that. I am not a homosexual,nordo I have anyclosefriends orrelativeswhoarehomo- sexuals. One might be suspiciousofabook on themorality ofhomosexuality and gay rights that is written by a straight man with very little acquain- tance with gay people. I would share that suspicion were the author to argue that homosexuality is a sin or that same-sex marriage should be againstthelaw.Itwouldbeeasytodismissthatauthorasarguingonthe basisofignorance.Ofcourse,Itoomightbeignorantaboutthelivesof gay people, but my argumentsarenotbasedonthatignorance.Rather, Iassumethatmostgaypeoplearenotsodifferentfrommeandmostof my heterosexual friends and relatives. This is not to deny that gay peo- plemightbedifferentfrommeintheirbeliefs,values,anddispositions. But I am sure that they also differ from each other in their beliefs, values, and dispositions. The differences matter much less than the similarities. Most people, gay or straight, share similar desires for op- portunity,equality, companionship, dignity,and theliberty tolivetheir livesaccordingtotheirowngoalsandvalues. I should confess that I have not always had the most tolerant or enlightened attitude toward gay people. In my youth I adopted the same mildly homophobic attitudes of the culture around me. But even thenI neverunderstoodwhy anyonewould think ofhomosexuality asa vii viii PREFACE moral issue. We might not like the way certain people live, but if they arenothurtinganyonethenwhyshouldwecare?Itseemsverystrange to me that anyone could think of sexual preference as a moral issue at all.Itispuzzlingwhyweareevenhavingthisdebate. Having said that, opponents of gay rights might be tempted to ac- cuse me of being ignorant about the anti-gay position. Not so. I have acquaintedmyselfwithalltheargumentsagainsthomosexualityandgay rights.When I say thatI do notunderstand them, I do notmean thatI amunfamiliarwiththem.ThereasonthatIdonotunderstandtheanti- gay position is that their arguments do not make any sense. This is not somethingthatI willmerelyassume fromthestart.On thecontrary,in thisbookItrytomakeasmuchsenseasIcanoftheargumentsagainst homosexualityandgayrightsandthenshowthateventhebestversions oftheseargumentsfail. So why didI writethisbook?Andwhy shouldI care somuchabout gay rights? I came to write this book rather by accident. It all started with a psychology professor in Kentucky named “Bob”—a man I’ve never met—who happens to be gay. He wrote the following e-mail message to a friend of mine, a fellow philosopher named “Sara,” with whomhehadbeencollaboratingonanunrelatedproject. We have a LUNATIC on campus who is writing crazy things, and claimsthatgaysex is“morallydisordered,”andwantstheuniversity to rescind the domestic partner benefits. He’s speaking today on “What is marriage?” Apparently it [marriage] is not what you think. I’veattachedanarticlehe’susing.I’vealreadygotmanythingsdown about how stupid it is, particularly its use of medieval notions of biology. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to collaborate on a rebuttal? The attachment was an article entitled “What Is Marriage?” written by conservative law professor Robert George and a couple of graduate students, Sherif Girgis and Ryan Anderson. (The article was published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.) Sara agreed to co- writetherebuttal.Butherspecializationisinepistemologyandphiloso- phy of mind, not ethics. So she thought it would be useful to bring a moralphilosopher(me)onboard.Sheforwardedhercolleague’se-mail tome,withthismessageofherown. Chris—Iknowyouarebusy,butifyouhavetimewouldyoulookat this CRAZY attached article? The dude is speaking on my friend’s campusinKentucky,andIamabout1/3ofthewaythroughandthe argumentsaresoinsaneIwouldreallyliketobringarealethicistin onthis.
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