Sexual experience history

Author: Michel Foucault
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-03-01
Features: The History of Sexuality is the last major work of the French postmodernist theorist Foucault. It was originally planned to be six volumes, but Foucault passed away in 1984 due to AIDS, and the final result was only three volumes completed. In this book, Foucault attempts to demonstrate the differences between the ethics of ancient Greece and Rome, medieval Christian ethics, and modern ethics, as well as the continuities and discontinuities between them. The continuity lies in that all three emphasize the need to regulate desires through morality. However, the methods by which they regulate desires differ significantly, creating a discontinuity from the ethics of ancient Greece and Rome to medieval—modern ethics. In ancient Greek culture, regulating desires through morality was an art and a free practice, allowing for diverse personal styles. Roman culture continued this tradition, still emphasizing moderation in one's approach to desires. That is to say, unlike medieval—modern ethics, which simply suppress and restrain desires and pleasures, ancient Greek and Roman cultures practiced moderate control and appropriate use of desires and pleasures. They believed that while desires could lead to negative consequences, they were not "original sin" inherent in human nature. Thus, Foucault tells us that to move beyond the ascetic ethics of medieval—modern society, we must re-examine the moderate ethics of ancient Greece and Rome. Of course, Foucault does not mean to suggest here that the moderate ethics of ancient Greece and Rome can serve as a substitute for modern culture, but rather that it is a case study that postmodern culture can draw upon.