Is Adultery Morally Permissible - 1499 Words

Adultery has been the topic of movies, books, television shows, and many arguments between spouses. One of the main question that surrounds it is, to what extent is adultery morally permissible. To me adultery can not be talked about unless also talking about love. Often love and adultery are intertwined whether it is because one uses love of another to justify adultery, or uses adultery as an evidence that one no longer loves their spouse. Pausanias, a character from the play Symposium by Plato, argues that love is constantly talked about yet few recognize the difference between the two types of love, which I will examine later. While people may dismiss adultery as not morally permissible because it causes pain to one’s spouse, a reason brought to light by Bonnie Steinbock in her essay, What’s Wrong With Adultery?. At this point Steinbeck offers the alternative of open marriages. John McMurtry also entertains the idea of open marriages being the extent that adultery is morally permissible. Finally, there are those that share the ideals of Raymond Carver’s characters in his fiction story What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. It takes a deeper look at the love two people can have for each other and the effects of it on their lives. I believe that adultery is not morally permissible because it perverts the pure meaning of love and uses it as an excuse. First I will follow Pausanias’ view on the notion of there being two types of love. One might know the differenceShow MoreRelatedAct Utilitarianism : Morally Permissible?944 Words   |  4 PagesAct utilitarianism is the philosophy that an act is permissible (the right thing to do) if and only if it produces as much or more good than any available alternative (class discussion). Act utilitarianism states that an act is morally permissible to do if and only if the good that the act produces will out weigh the good that any other available alternative act would produce. For example, if you are choosing between sitting at home all day or going to volunteer at a charity, act utilitarianism wouldRead MoreWhen two people walk down the aisle and make a promise to love one another â€Å"till death do us part,†1000 Words   |  4 Pagesspouse and never wander from their loved one. If they stray from their loved one; having sexual intercourse with someone other than their spouse. They are committing adultery. Adulterous behavior can be seen to fall with the domain of morality. For men and women there are many reasons they have committed or are committing adultery. For the most part many who have affairs have a good sex life but come from marriages with little or no intimacy. 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