Wergen, Liane Helene; (2024) Ideology, Desire, and Consent: An asymmetrical ethical and political critique of heterosexual desire. Masters thesis (M.Phil.Stud), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

In this paper, I argue that we may have legitimate asymmetrical responses to heterosexual male and female desire and explore how this might shape our understanding of how we ought to act on our desires and approach consent. As evidenced by the growing literature on consent, consent is a deeply complex concept and ethical tool. It is complicated by the context of injustice - particularly gender injustice – and requires a more refined approach that can maintain its usefulness and adapt it to be sensitive to inequalities between men and women. A close political analysis of our sexual norms and desires is in order to shed light on how we can better support women’s sexual emancipation through a revised view of consent. My thesis begins with the observation that we have asymmetrical reactions to heterosexual desires. We moralise the male desire to subordinate and patronise the female desire to be dominated. My first chapter provides prima facie reasons to accept that there may be a legitimate asymmetry between our moral reactions. The second chapter dives into the literature on pornography to explain how and why sexual desires are subject to ideological influences and how the asymmetry thesis affects the moral upshot of this discussion. The final chapter applies the findings to the discourse around consent to show that we need to adopt an enthusiastic version of consent and revise men’s duties regarding their desires and consent to elevate and support female emancipation. The argument shows that men have more onerous duties to reflect on their sexual desires than women and that we should promote enthusiastic consent to protect women’s sexual autonomy and emphasise their desires over normalised practices, expectations, and ideological influences. This argument contributes to the debate around sexual consent in an unjust patriarchal world, finding a middle ground between radical views on sex and consent, such as MacKinnon’s and more gender-neutral accounts. It borrows from feminist political critiques of sexual desires and formulates new clear ethical guidelines and responsibilities for men to reflect on their desires and be more sensitive to women’s desires. Overall, it aims to bring nuance to the debate on sex in ways that are practically useful and lucid.

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