The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory and Ethics of Sexual Orientation

The vast majority of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people believe that their sexuality is an inborn trait, whereas scientists favor theories of genetic or hormonal causation, psychologists point to environmental factors and most cutting-edge queer theorists are convinced that sexual orientations are constructed by historical and social factors. In a refreshingly daring work, philosopher Stein (Without Good Reason) raises metaphysical, methodological and ethical questions that challenge all sides of the debate with an eye toward reevaluating previous studies and developing new criteria for future research. Deploring the lack of cross-cultural research, he argues that much of what we think we know about sexual desire is wrong. Stein's decision to separate his review of past scientific and psychological research (often aided by clever parables) from his discussion of philosophical and ethical considerations leads to a great deal of unnecessary overlap, as does the author's redundant style (e.g., ""Natural selection involves selection... ""). While the general reader may benefit from the recaps, more sophisticated readers who have followed the debates over many of these studies in newspapers and journals will find the pace tedious and discover little that is new. Stein is at his best when querying the wisdom of undertaking such research at all. However, he so frequently refrains from taking sides that his analysis raises more questions than it answers. Illustrations. (Nov.)