Masturbation

Masturbation is one of the subjects I would least likely to find in the curriculum of a Philosophy module, but nonetheless is an interesting subject to bring up! Apart from masturbation being a social taboo for many, it was fascinating to find that it has such a colourful and expansive history I never knew about.

Even in the modern day, many people cringe at the sound of the word, but always laugh at the associated pseudonyms: 'Jerking off', 'Pull your pickle' or 'Flicking the bean'! It became clear, during this lecture, that this trend was set since Victorian times, where various chastity devices were available to prevent the desire of masturbation. Even doctors, up to the early 20th century, were convinced that masturbation was a health risk and used clearly torturous methods to prevent them from doing the 'unnatural act'. It is clear now that they were unnecessary and wrong; I wonder how many people suffered at the hands of them?

Consequently, I never realised the importance of masturbation for certain African and Asian cultures: masturbation is the 'creation' of life and culture. To many in the West, it is simply a way of sexual gratification; to others in deeply religious or pagan cultures, it symbolises the importance of creating culture, nature and society.

In the end of the day, is masturbation 'bad'? I would have to answer 'no', since masturbation is a personal choice. It is an act where it tends to occur in solitude and is up to the person when, how and why they should do it. Masturbation does not 'hurt' others, unless it involves deviant behaviour or takes place in public. What is interesting is that sex is talked about all the time in the media and receives no scorn, while masturbation is seen as being wrong. There is no major difference between the two, maybe the reason is that no money can be made from it? Or are people are still too scared to talk about a personal issue that is no worse than the act of sex?


I have included a link to the wikipedia website that shall allow you to see the meaning and associated information about the subject. It also has further links to other websites concerning the history and associated pseudonyms for your enjoyment!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masturbation