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Sex and Character (book): Difference between revisions
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In sum, Weininger forcefully disparages femininity, which is consistently identified with passivity, vacuity, and animal lust, contrasting with what Weininger argued are the higher virtues which he judged only men were capable of expressing, typically. The author also sought to undertake a comprehensive study of the nature of genius, in view of his focus on what he saw as the hierarchy that existed between masculine and feminine essences. | In sum, Weininger forcefully disparages femininity, which is consistently identified with passivity, vacuity, and animal lust, contrasting with what Weininger argued are the higher virtues which he judged only men were capable of expressing, typically. The author also sought to undertake a comprehensive study of the nature of genius, in view of his focus on what he saw as the hierarchy that existed between masculine and feminine essences. | ||
==Homosexuality and Pederasty== | |||
Weininger briefly touches upon the topic of homosexuality. His theory is that homosexuality is caused by the magnetic attraction that he says exists between two "intermediate forms" (containing both the male and female essences). Weininger takes a (for the time) very liberal view of how society should treat homosexuality, deploring the homophobic sentiments of the masses of the time that held homosexuality was a mental condition. Instead, Weininger effectively argues for the decriminalization of homosexuality, arguing that it is natural and not necessarily 'degenerative' in character. The author also (similar to the later sex researcher Alfred Kinsey) argues that sexuality is essentially a spectrum, with all men and women possessing bisexual traits to a greater or lesser degree. Weininger claims that homosexuality is innate, and as such any efforts to 'treat' it are doomed to fail. He briefly mentions the [[homocel hypothesis]], by arguing that celibacy is not the cause of homosexual tendencies, but only inflames a natural orientation towards them. | |||
Feminism is identified as stemming from lesbian androgyny, with the author listing a series of contemporary women, foremost in the feminist movement, claiming that they are all highly physically masculine women. In the authors view, masculine women are superior to the 'typical' feminine woman, owing to what he views as the androgyne's greater dynamism, will for self-determination and he also argues that they clearly possess a greater capacity for intellectual and physical prowess than the average woman. | |||
==Excerpts== | ==Excerpts== | ||