 Cover | |
| Author | Richard Posner |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Human sexuality |
| Publisher | Harvard University Press |
Publication date | 1992 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 458 |
| ISBN | 0-674-80279-9 |
Sex and Reason is a 1992 book about human sexuality by the economist and federal judge Richard Posner, in which the author attempts to explain sexual behavior in economic terms and discusses a range of controversial subjects related to sex, proposing reforms in American laws.
The book received mixed reviews. The work was described as ambitious and Posner was credited with providing a learned discussion of, and a valuable overview of scholarly literature about, sex. It was noted that Posner's discussion of homosexuality played a central role in his work. Some reviewers praised Posner's treatment of gay rights issues, including service in the American military by gay people, but others criticized his treatment of homosexuality. Posner was also criticized for his treatment of women's sexual behavior and preferences, feminism, female infanticide, welfare, contraception, rape, prostitution, pornography, and abortion, his use of sociobiology, the authorities he relied upon, and his approach to morality. Reviewers considered some of Posner's conclusions speculative. Posner subsequently reevaluated his view of gay rights, and abandoned the opposition to same-sex marriage he had expressed in the work.