Dr. Vallicella writes about the fall of Dr. John Searle, a big name in philosophy of mind. Searle gave the world the famous "Chinese room" thought experiment. Alas, Searle, who is 86, was recently "stripped of his emeritus status" because he'd been "found to have violated sexual-harassment policies." Searle allegedly showed porn to his students, and—who knows?—it may have been his hope to lure in a young, fresh undergrad or three. Vallicella writes:
I say you are young until 30, middle-aged 30-60, and old thereafter. If you feed your sex monkey, he can torment you throughout that middle-aged period and beyond depending on your level of vigor. It is interesting, and indeed important, to note that according to St. Augustine, who had wide experience in these matters, no man achieves continence without divine assistance. So rather than say that insatiable lust is absurd, I prefer to say that it is border-line demonic.
Lord Russell, if I rightly recall, refused to remain faithful to his wife even in his 80's. Now that truly is absurd. You chase a woman. Suppose you catch her. What the hell do you do then? Sniff her hair like creepy Joe Biden? It is natural for a young man to be on the prowl, and you would entertain certain doubts about a young man who wasn't; but an old man on the prowl cuts a ridiculous figure, and is failing to make use of his old age for what it is good for: finally breaking his bondage to the flesh.
Dr. V. is something of an unimaginative nerd (not to mention a prude) when it comes to matters of sex, I think. Clint Eastwood was 66 when he married Dina Ruiz, who was a young, firm 30. That marriage lasted 17 years. Should Eastwood have devoted his time to "breaking his bondage to the flesh"? Who can say? Some men feel strongly the impulse to spew their DNA far and wide. This is the gift, and the strife, they bequeath to the world.
Well, I'm living in a town full of horny old men. That's why many of them come here. And they acknowledge they couldn't get laid back home.
ReplyDeleteI personally have no issues with that, even if I choose not to partake. It's good to have options for the men and the Filipinas benefit financially. That's a win-win in my book...
The transactional nature of what's going on in your town makes me think it's just another form of prostitution. The women are worldly and savvy enough to know perfectly well what they're getting into; the men bask in the delusion that these women actually care deeply for them. Kind of sad from an outsider's perspective, but as long as no one's getting hurt by the transactions, then by libertarian standards, there's little to be said.
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