the feminist puzzle of orgasm

I’m REALLY excited about the talk by Elisabeth Lloyd, Professor of Philosophy of Science at Indiana University. Her book Case of the Female Orgasm: bias in the science of evolution caused quite a hubbub when it was published not because it was about sex or about evolution but because it concluded that women’s orgasms are functionless and were not subject to selection pressure.

Why is this a big deal? Well there are feminists who respond at a gut level to the idea that evolution didn’t think women’s orgasms were important with the sense that evolution is the arbiter of value, or that even to discuss women’s sexuality in terms of biology is inherently devaluing.

I disagree, and, needless to say, so does Lloyd. She calls it “The Lucky Bonus” account – we get orgasms FREE! For fun! Is there anything more feminist than that?

And what could be more validating to women’s sexuality than to make it the subject of serious scientific inquiry, regardless of what the conclusions are? Better science leads to better understanding and, eventually, better health for everyone.

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