Sex & Character: Authorised Translation from the Sixth German EditionWeininger, Otto
Philosophy
Sex & Character: Authorised Translation from the Sixth German Edition
Weininger, Otto
Character; Sex; Sex (Psychology); Sexual ethics
I shall begin with some phenomena which are pretty generally
recognised. Men when quite young, say under twenty, are attracted by
much older women (say those of thirty-five and so on), whilst men of
thirty-five are attracted by women much younger than themselves. So
also, on the other hand, quite young girls (sweet seventeen) generally
prefer much older men, but, later in life, may marry striplings. The
whole subject deserves close attention and is both popular and easily
noticed.
In spite of the necessary limitation of this work to the consideration
of a single law, it will make for exactness if I try to state the
formula in a more definite fashion, without the deceptive element of
simplicity. Even without being able to state in definite quantities the
other factors and the co-operating laws, we may reach a satisfactory
exactness by the use of a variable factor.
The first formula was only an abstract general statement of what is
common to all cases of maximum sexual attraction so far as the sexual
relation is governed by the law. I must now try to find an expression
for the strength of the sexual affinity in any conceivable case, an
expression which on account of its general form, can be used to describe
the relationship between any two living beings, even if these belong to
different species or to the same sex.
If
{ α M { β W
χ { and γ {
{ α´ W { β´ M
(where α, α´, β, and β´ are each greater than 0 and less than unity)
define the sexual constitutions of any two living beings between which
there is an attraction, then the strength of the attraction may be
expressed thus:
K
A = -----_f^t_
α - β
where _f^t_ is an empirical or analytical function of the period during
which it is possible for the individuals to act upon one another, what
may be called the “reaction-time”; whilst K is the variable factor in
which we place all the known and unknown laws of sexual affinity, and
which also varies with the degree of specific, racial and family
relationship, and with the health and absence of deformity in the two
individuals, and which, finally, will become smaller as the actual
spacial distance between the two is greater, and which can be determined
in any individual case.
When in this formula α = β A must be infinity; this is the extreme case;
it is sexual attraction as an elemental force, as it has been described
with a weird mastercraft by Lynkeus in the novel “Im Postwagen.” Such
sexual attraction is as much a natural law as the downward growth of a
rootlet towards the earth, or the migration of bacteria to the oxygen at
the edge of a microscopic cover-glass. But it takes some time to grow
accustomed to such a view. I shall refer to this point again.
If α - β has its maximum value, which is when it equals unity, then A =
K. _f^t_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account