Best of 2010

by Jason Stotts

Here are what I consider ten of my best essays from 2010.  It was a big year for Erosophia as we got our own hosted website here on www.JasonStotts.com and moved all of the old essays from the former blogs here.  It’s also been the year with the most number of posts and we’ve been increasing readership every month.  Also in this year, we’ve seen Ifat Glassman and Dr. Robert Garmong come on board as occasional guest bloggers, both of whom have made Erosophia better with their essays.

I want to thank my loyal readers for their support and single out two people, T.O. and C.C., for their extra support.  I also want to thank all of the commenters and those who have e-mail me with their questions for the engaging debates and discussions.

I look forward to more good essays in 2011 and hopefully a book deal for Eros and Ethos.  Please enjoy what I consider ten of the best essays from this year!

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10. “The Tow” – This is the first story I ever wrote and I think it’s pretty decent.  It’s not going to win any literary awards, but it does show that if I practice, I can do fiction as well as philosophy.

9. On Male Orgasm and Prostate Play – In this essay, I discuss the nature of the male orgasm, it’s connection to the prostate, and prostate stimulation.  If you’ve never tried prostate stimulation yourself or with your partner, you should give it a read.

8. Peter Singer Loves Animals (Too Much) – In this essay, I explore the claim of philosopher Peter Singer that bestiality can be moral.  I conclude, after a thorough analysis, that it is not.  Read the essay to find out why.

7. Contra Peikoff on Swinging – In this essay I take Leonard Peikoff to task for his hasty and shallow analysis of the morality of swinging.

6. Swinging: A Different Perspective – In this essay I look at one reason why people choose to engage in swinging and one possible value it can have for their relationship.

5. Alcohol and Sex – In this essay, I look at the phenomenon of people who need alcohol to be sexual and the cultural ties between sex and alcohol.

4. Is Love a Zero-Sum Game? – In this essay, I look at the idea of loving more than one person at once and whether this is possible or practical.

3. Reflections on American Values on Memorial Day – This is a tribute to my late maternal grandparents and a look the irony of older generations fighting against statism, then having their descendants vote it in.

2. Formspring Question: Changing Sexual Orientation – In this essay I answer a question from a reader about changing sexual orientation.  I also give a close analysis of the idea of sexual orientation and whether it’s useful as a concept.

1. On Polysexuality (Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) – This is one of my favorite essays I’ve ever written and I’m proud to put it at the number one spot.  Even though it’s only really a polished second draft, I think it will be the foundations of a new moral acceptance of polysexuality (non-monogamy) and I think it ushers in a more philosophical approach to some hard issues.