ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Ethics in Islam and in the Western World Chapter 4 : a Critical Examination of the Theoretical Basis of the Proposed New Sexual Freedom In the preceding chapter, the salient features of the proposed new sexual morality have been discussed. Now, it is intended to evaluate its basic principles. These are restated below: (1) Personal liberty of every individual should be invariably respected and protected, provided it does not conflict with that of others.

In other words, an individual's liberty is limited by no other consideration than the liberty of another individual. (2) Human wellbeing lies in their individual nurturing and fulfillment of their inborn aptitudes and desires. If these natural inclinations are interfered with, it will lead to egotism and personality disturbances arising from sexual frustration in particular. And, the natural instincts and desires are bound to go awry, if these are not fulfilled or satisfied.

(3) Limitations and restraints on the natural instincts and desires of human beings tend to intensify the cravings and inflame the passions. Their uninhibited fulfillment signifies contentment, enabling a person to overcome any excessive preoccupation with a natural urge, such as the sexual one. The three principles above respectively concern human philosophy, training and psychology. They are put forward as justification for what the new moralists consider it to be the correct way, i.e.

dispensing with the conventional morals, restraints and limitations, in order to ensure individual liberty, to promote, and not to frustrate, sexual gratification. First, let us examine the above principles on the basis of statements and views of the supporters of the proposed new moral system. For, none of them seem to have fully identified the principles underlying their contributions to the proposed new morality.

The principle of individual liberty is actually basic to the sociological realization of human rights. However, those who seek to promote the new concepts of morality evidently-and wrongly - assume that personalized sexual freedom has no social implications. This is because of their obvious assumption that when individuals are free to pursue their sexual interests, they are expected to observe no more than privacy, so as not to adversely affect the rights of other persons.