Sex at ATLOSCon

Okay, so maybe not formal, organized sex. But at least a class on sex. And plenty of chances to meet attractive Oists. The rest is up to you! :)

The class that I am talking about is called "Sexual Ethics and Objectivism," and it's being given by Jason Stotts of Erosophia fame. You can find a description of his talk here.

What I like about Jason's approach to sex is that he isn't a prude. I'm so done with people who, after chucking Christianity and altruism, can't seem to chuck Christian sexual ethics. Jason wants us all to talk more about sex, get more comfortable with how central it is to a happy human life, and learn to do it better and better. Those are goals I can get behind (pun completely intended).

As you can see from this picture, he clearly belongs here in Atlanta!

Here are some comments from a few of his other (famous on the internets) fans:

"I've read many of Jason Stotts's posts on his blog, Erosophia, and I've found it extremely interesting and thought-provoking. Jason's insights into sex and sexuality are quite astute--his clarity and precision of thought have definitely aided my own thinking on the issues he tackles, and it's refreshing that his analyses are not inhibited by conventional Victorian attitudes about sex, but rather frank and open." -- Arthur Zey

"Although I was never very religious growing up, have been studying Objectivism for 4 years and considered myself to have a very healthy sex life, I was surprised to find that many of my opinions about the morality of sex were based on the stereotypical Judeo/Christian values of American culture. Reading Jason's blog this past year has challenged my views on the morality of sex in more ways than I thought possible, and for that, I am forever grateful! I really enjoy his sex tips and his posts on etymology." -- Kelly Valenzuela

And from my Aaron, who is always ready to say something provocative and in the #AaronZone (but let's face it, so is Jason Stotts, though in the most calm and reasoned way possible):

"Jason Stotts is the Dan Savage of Objectivism. His blog Erosophia advocates rational, honest communication in relationships, along with being very sex positive and understanding the importance of being 'good, giving, and game'. He pushes the boundaries of some Objectivists by getting into unconventional topics such as anal play, pegging, and a new look at roles of masculinity and femininity. Erosophia recognizes that sex is not amoral, and that morality is extremely important to the proper role of sex. Yet it also recognizes that so much concerning sex can be a matter of individual differences, of optional values rather than universal/moral ones, including not only sexuality and libido, but also one's desires, kinks, and - even more controversial - desire for monogamy versus polygamy. I enjoy and recommend Erosophia and hope other Objectivists also discover and are willing to be pushed out of their comfort zone by it." -- Aaron Bilger

Jason and his wife Megan

Jason himself answers the question, "Why have you focused your academic interests on sex?":

"I get this question a lot: why sex? Why do I want to write about sex? Well, it seemed like a good choice, since, as a man in his sexual prime, I spend enough time thinking about sex that it seems like it’s not too much more effort to direct this thought and put words to paper.

"To be honest, though, the answer is deeply rooted in my past and psychology. You see, I was raised by a father who was a cross between a Nietzshean egoist, a Hedonist, and an amoralist. The result was a man whose primary care in life was sexual conquest. Quantity, not quality, was his goal and he did his best to instill this thought to his three sons. I, being the oldest son, tried for some time to live up to my father’s ideals. However, it didn’t take long for me to see that there were deep flaws with his position. Unfortunately, I couldn’t articulate exactly what was wrong with it and that bothered me deeply. I knew that this path of hedonistic conquest was wrong, but I couldn’t say why. Some people complain that they are left ignorant about sex by their parents. I would have been glad to have been given the gift of ignorance. Instead, I was saddled with bad ideas and the drive to discover precisely why these were wrong and what, then, was right.

"The primary reason that I write about sex is because I think that it’s silly that people are willing to shine the light of reason on nearly any other aspect of their lives, but not on sex. Sex is not some magical phenomenon, although sometimes it feels like it might be. Sex is part of being human, part of our nature and of “the human experience.” Further, it’s not like we need fear that looking too closely at sex will spoil the magic. To paraphrase Robert Solomon, if looking too closely will spoil the magic, then sex is a cheap trick indeed. We need to dispense with our irrational taboos regarding sex and take a fresh look at it. We need to not shelter ourselves in ignorance of sex and hope for the best, but to actively engage sex and make the most of our lives."

I'm very excited about hearing Jason's talk and discussing the ideas later with the other attendees. I hope you'll join us for Jason's talk and for all the other exciting classes and social events on our schedule. If you haven't signed up for ATLOSCon yet, get going! It's only 2 weeks away, but there is still time to register. See you there!