ABSTRACT
Many philosophers writing about sexual ethics today draw on the writers of the past, and the history of philosophy provides a valuable resource for understanding the questions discussed in this book. This chapter provides an introduction to some of the past philosophers who are most frequently discussed in the literature on sexual ethics or whose ideas have the most relevance to the subject in order to provide a framework for the chapters that follow. It discusses the following theories: Aristotle and Greek philosophy; Augustine, Aquinas, and Natural Law Theory; Kant; Utilitarianism; Feminism; Post-Structuralism; and Queer Theory. It concludes with an overview of key philosophical principles that are often considered in discussions of sexual ethics.
