"Happiness, well-being and autonomy are very important," he explained. "It's about emotional democracy."
(It always amuses me to see an "active sex life" spoken of as a basic human need. Even the Maslow hierarchy lists sex as a basic physiological need alongside air, water and sleep, and more important than safety needs. Sure, people are sexually obsessed (for example, we have powerful computers and communications technologies, and we use them mostly for downloading porn and talking dirty to each other; well, after making ever-more-lethal killing machines, anyway), but to say that sex is as essential as oxygen is surely an exaggeration.)
Well, that talks about the psychological need of the individual human being, not the needs of one's genes.
Even if one subscribes to the theory that lack of reproductive opportunity fucks you up severely and makes you suicidally depressed or a virus writer or religious zealot or something (which I don't), the effects are considerably less immediately lethal than lack of food or oxygen.
Then there's the question of whether people who have lots of non-reproductive sex are dysfunctional human beings as well. Which comes down to whether we're primates infected with memes or meme-colonies riding the bodies of primates. Personally, I'm on the side of the memes.
It's a very Western European way of looking at sex of course, something of which the weblogging cryptofascist street team will probably howl outragedly.
Just one query, though, I was under the impression that the Franco years had had the side-effect of secularising Spain as people reacted against the avowedly god-fearing government, or at least allowed soccer to take over as the main religion. Maybe Granada is just backward...
Maybe someone who actually lives in Spain can clarify.
A lot of very modern and progressive people in the US seem to hold the same idea, and it pisses me off to no end.
Anyone trying to convince me that sex is a basic human need/right better be handing out discounts for prostitutes, not hotels.
Actually, I once read that some upmarket prostitutes market themselves as "therapists" these days. I wonder whether any health insurance schemes will cover their services.
Does the Daily Planet do bulk-billing?
For a life form in the wild, "food, sex, shelter and safety" may be the big four needs. Maybe it is a defining part of modern Western culture that we feel we have the luxury of doing without "sex".
It always amuses me when I see someone ranting against libertarianism, saying "it will be survival of the fittest - only the richest will be able to afford health care and education!" - I agree with what they're TRYING to say, but the fact is, the "fittest" is the one who has the most viable offspring; usually the poorest people. Rich elites have the luxury of finding sex where they want, but refusing to breed lest it interferes with the payments on their Merc.
yeah, i hate it when scientists keep talking as if viruses sit around going "what can i do to improve my balance my infection rate?"
And organisms in the wild die early if they don't reproduce?
What I find interesting is the right to sponsored Viagra (health insurance) for people who would otherwise be unable to get it on. Because then, it's mostly no longer a need, but craving for fun.
Yes, expecially when contraception (i.e., the Pill) isn't covered. One could argue that the consequences of sex without contraception would be more catastrophic than those of not being able to perform in bed.
Still, given how many politicians are rich old men, it's not surprising that Viagra is seen as a God-given right.
The pill isn't even covered by health insurance for those who need to take it for medical reasons (controlling the growth of endometriosis/adenomyosis).
Hello, just thought I'd let you know that the above Maslow link doesn't work any more. There's a good one here: http://www.equotesaboutmovingon.org/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs/
It depends if you're talking about the survival of _you_, or the survival of your _genes_.