About the Book
Challenging everything from the mandates of the Catholic Church to the hotly debated ethics of pornography, and from the controversy surrounding gay rights to issues of gender and feminism, With Pleasure explores a new theory of human sexuality that ignites every hot topic in the public domain. What role, authors Paul Abramson and Steven Pinkerton ask, does sexual pleasure play in our lives? Is the pursuit of sexual enjoyment in our blood? Our brains? Our
very nature? Regardless of the source, it can be agreed that the joys of sex are widely appreciated. Why, then, is pleasure so often overlooked in discussions of sexual behaviour, and why do cultural,
historical, and religious treatises so often fail to emphasise, or outright ignore, this obvious aspect of human sexuality? Responding to these and many other questions about our most private affairs, With Pleasure provides a profoundly original challenge to the cherished truisms of human sexuality. Abramson and Pinkerton proclaim the paramount importance of pleasure, while at the same time overthrowing traditional ideas about gender, pornography, contraception,
homosexuality, abortion, and much more. Supported by rigorous research and co-written by one of the foremost authorities on sex, With Pleasure argues that human sexuality cannot be understood if its
significance is limited to reproduction alone. The authors posit that in humans reproduction itself occurs as a byproduct of pleasure--not the other way around--and that it is the strong drive for pleasure that makes people overcome many obstacles--and even life-threatening dangers such as AIDS--to have sex. Ranging from discussions about the church to current debates about pornography, and from evolutionary theory to questions about the future of sex and pleasure, Abramson and Pinkerton argue
persuasively that the pleasurability of sex cannot be restricted to purely reproductive behaviour. With Pleasure advances a startling and original new theory about human
sexuality, one which the authors believe will replace all existing notions about sex. The book, standing in direct and deliberate opposition to traditions that try to confine sexuality to procreation, is sure to ignite a firestorm of controversy.
Table of Contents:
1: Introduction
2: Sex as Procreation: Is That All There Is?
3: The Regulation and Marketing of Sexual Pleasure
4: The Biology of Sexual Pleasure
5: The Psychology of Sexual Pleasure
6: AIDS: The End of Pleasure?
7: Porn: Tempest on a Soapbox
Epilogue: The Future of Sex
Appendix A: Contextual Glossary for Chapter 4
Appendix B: Mathematical Models of HIV Transmission
Notes
References
Index
About the Author :
Paul R. Abramson is one of the world's most eminent scientists in the field of human sexuality. He is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles and a former editor of the Journal of Sex Research. He has been a technical advisor to the World Health Organization's Global Program on AIDS and is the author of six books, including Sexual Nature, Sexual Culture and Sarah: A Sexual Biography.
Steven D. Pinkerton recently received a doctorate in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Pinkerton has written extensively in the areas of human sexuality and AIDS prevention and is presently pursuing a broad research agenda in
psychology and the behavioral sciences as a post-doctoral fellow at UCLA.
Review :
"Stimulating and informative and written with ample wit... The authors' central argument is that sex is for pleasure, not procreation, because it is usually pleasure that provides the motivating force for human sexual activity."--Scientific American
"Stimulating and informative and written with ample wit.... The authors' central argument is that sex is for pleasure, not procreation, because it is usually pleasure that provides the motivating force for human sexual activity."--Scientific American
"A fresh and theoretically enticing approach to the study of human sexuality....Sure to spark intense debate among those concerned with the study of human sexuality."--Kirkus Reviews
"Abramson and Pinkerton amass an array of evidence that sexuality in all of its myriad manifestations is inherently pleasurable. Moreover, they argue that sex-as-pleasure is primary over sex-as-reproduction as the evolutionary and psychological motivator for seeking sexual outlets. Furthermore, they insist that embracing all consensual, adult sexuality will make sex safer and perpetuate the species but with increased pleasure. Thus, With Pleasure is a
scholarly, provocative, and brave book that will both evoke discomfort in the sexual puritan and instill hope in the sexual liberal as it increases the tolerance of all to the celebration of sexual
pleasure."--Donald L. Mosher, Professor of Psychology, University of Connecticut
"With Pleasure is a thought-provoking, insightful examination that takes pleasure out of the closet and challenges us to rethink commonly-held assumptions about the nature of sexuality. It is a welcome addition to my library that I predict will drive public discussion and future academic research."--Angela Pattatucci, Associate Investigator, National Institutes of Health
"Stimulating and informative and written with ample wit.... The authors' central argument is that sex is for pleasure, not procreation, because it is usually pleasure that provides the motivating force for human sexual activity."--Scientific American
"A fresh and theoretically enticing approach to the study of human sexuality....Sure to spark intense debate among those concerned with the study of human sexuality."--Kirkus Reviews
"Abramson and Pinkerton amass an array of evidence that sexuality in all of its myriad manifestations is inherently pleasurable. Moreover, they argue that sex-as-pleasure is primary over sex-as-reproduction as the evolutionary and psychological motivator for seeking sexual outlets. Furthermore, they insist that embracing all consensual, adult sexuality will make sex safer and perpetuate the species but with increased pleasure. Thus, With Pleasure is a
scholarly, provocative, and brave book that will both evoke discomfort in the sexual puritan and instill hope in the sexual liberal as it increases the tolerance of all to the celebration of sexual
pleasure."--Donald L. Mosher, Professor of Psychology, University of Connecticut
"With Pleasure is a thought-provoking, insightful examination that takes pleasure out of the closet and challenges us to rethink commonly-held assumptions about the nature of sexuality. It is a welcome addition to my library that I predict will drive public discussion and future academic research."--Angela Pattatucci, Associate Investigator, National Institutes of Health
"A great book for a society in which puritans from the left and right tell us that sex without reproduction is unnatural and wrong. This view fails to take into account the behavior of some of our closest animal relatives. With Pleasure successfully broadens the view of the role of sex in society by presenting a more informed picture of nature."--Frans de Waal, author of Chimpanzee Politics and Peacemaking among Primates
"Sex Appeal flows in an intuitive series of ideas and expresses thoughts that may be obvious, but seem to be seldom practice. The six logical principles regarding sex for our era outlined in Paul Abramson's book are not only interesting, but vital to a peaceful existence."--As reviewed on the blog, Feminist Review
