J.D. Unwin and Why Sexual Morality May be Far More Important than You Ever Thought

Quest - Thoughts About God, Truth And Beauty (blog) ^ | 12/01/2024 | Kirk Durston

[TexasKamaAina]

Unwin examines the data from 86 societies and civilizations to see if there is a relationship between sexual freedom and the flourishing of cultures. What makes the book especially interesting is that we in the West underwent a sexual revolution in the late 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s and are now in a position to test the conclusions he arrived at more than 40 years earlier.

[TexasKamaAina]

I ran across this blog yesterday for the first time. Never heard of the blogger before or the researcher he writes about.

[reed13k]

It’s a good read - curious the alignment with Howe’s 4th Turning generations and wondering if there is additional information from Unwin of any changes to the cultures prior to their peak.

[hinckley buzzard]

Pretty accurate read on the current decline in western culture.

[FrogMom]

“when strict prenuptial chastity was abandoned, absolute monogamy, deism, and rational thinking disappeared within three generations.”

I think the real crash of Western Civ in all of that is the loss of deism. If you’ve read the 5000 Year Leap, you find that deism led to the rest. No God, no rational or civilized society.

[metmom]

Excellent article.

“So back to that afternoon in the philosophy seminar when it occurred to me that some moral laws will seem to limit human pleasure in the short term, but will prevent great suffering or maximize happiness and fulfillment in the long term. For years, it has been my thinking that God’s moral laws are not simply a bunch of arbitrary rules given to restrict mankind’s freedom. Instead, they are like operating instructions designed to spare people from suffering while maximizing human flourishing. Unwin’s and Eberstadt’s research provides strong rational justification for the inference that God’s moral laws pertaining to our sexuality, although they may restrain us from some immediate pleasure, protect us from enormous long-term suffering while maximizing our long term flourishing.”

It’s certainly the path we’re traveling.

[metmom]

I suspect they go hand in hand.

People who want sexual license will reject what stops it.

[daniel1212]

J.D. Unwin and Why Sexual Morality May be Far More Important than You Ever Thought “So back to that afternoon in the philosophy seminar when it occurred to me that some moral laws will seem to limit human pleasure in the short term, but will prevent great suffering or maximize happiness and fulfillment in the long term. For years, it has been my thinking that God’s moral laws are not simply a bunch of arbitrary rules given to restrict mankind’s freedom. Instead, they are like operating instructions designed to spare people from suffering while maximizing human flourishing. Unwin’s and Eberstadt’s research provides strong rational justification for the inference that God’s moral laws pertaining to our sexuality, although they may restrain us from some immediate pleasure, protect us from enormous long-term suffering while maximizing our long term flourishing.”

Powerful summation. Saves a lot of money also.

[zeestephen]

On the other hand...

Every one of us probably has at least 100 ancestors who were under age 14 at the time, and probably 100 more who were promiscuous, by every cultural standard.