Care of the Sexual Self: skesis as a Route to Sex Education [Hardcover]

In response to the limitations of traditional US sex education models, this book presents a groundbreaking approach rooted in ancient practices of self-cultivation.

Shaun Miller critiques existing frameworks-paternalistic, liberal-consequentialist, and liberal-deontological-arguing that they focus narrowly on behavior, outcomes, and consent while neglecting the deeper development of sexual identity and character.

The?skesismodel, in contrast, offers a transformative method that emphasizes self-discipline, emotional awareness, and critical engagement with societal norms. By applying?skesisto modern sex education, the book proposes a curriculum that encourages students to explore their authentic sexual selves and question heteronormative assumptions. The?skesismodel moves beyond risk avoidance and simply giving or receiving consent: it empowers individuals to embrace diverse sexual and gender identities while fostering moral and emotional growth.

This book critiques traditional sex education models and introduces an approach rooted in ancient practices of self-cultivation that emphasizes critical engagement with societal norms.Shaun Millerteaches philosophy at Iona University, USA.Care of the Sexual Selfoffers an important, critical philosophical intervention in the field of sexuality education. Miller's examination of the similarities in terms, assumptions, and logics underpinning 'Patriarchal' and 'Liberal' school-based sex education (SBSE) approaches, and his careful analysis of their consequences on individual development and social relations, significantly deepens current scholarship on consent, heteropatriarchy, 'readiness,' and other key SBSE concepts. His proposed model of?skesis, or taking-care-of-the-self, draws on contemporary philosophers (Foucault, Murdoch, Nussbaum, Schusterman) to offer an exciting new vocabulary and framework for an SBSE rooted in students' sexual subjectivity, existlóÙ