A Problem in Modern Ethics
John Addington Symonds
Read by Martin Geeson
“Society lies under the spell of ancient terrorism and coagulated errors. Science is either wilfully hypocritical or radically misinformed.”
John Addington Symonds struck many an heroic note in this courageous (albeit anonymously circulated) essay. He is a worthy Virgil guiding the reader through the Inferno of suffering which emerging medico-legal definitions of the sexually deviant were prepared to inflict on his century and on the one which followed. Symonds pleads for sane human values in a world of Urnings, Dionings, Urano-Dionings and Uraniasters - in short, the whole paraphernalia of Victorian taxonomies and undigested Darwinism which, superimposed on the “terrorism” of religion, labelled and to some extent created the specimen “homosexual.”
A discussion of the “manly love” poems of Walt Whitman leads the author to speculate on a better future for the criminalised mutual passions of men; yet he is obliged to defer the dream, for “the world cannot be invited to entertain it.” (Introduction by Martin Geeson) (4 hr 50 min)
Chapters
Reviews
I'm strait yet i am against oppression of the LGBT
dahszil
This tract written by John Addington Symonds is as important today as it was then. However I do believe Symonds puts too much stress on the sexual, while excluding platonic love, the highest i believe imho.
not a book I would have read as a paper copy
thatartgirl
...but I will listen to anything read by Martin Geeson. He's a fabulous reader and I did find this book to be a very interesting commentary on the development of views on homosexuality.
Captain O’Captain
Thoroughly interesting material that unfortunately has been relegated to the secret corners of dusty, special-interest scholar libraries for too long. Boldly explores “unmentionable” subjects with erudition and passion. Martin Geeson gives a clear yet dramatic reading. Thank you, sir.
Excellent Reader
A LibriVox Listener
One of the best readers on Librivox. Pronounces the Greek, Latin, and German passages with skill. Excellent expression of poetry. Also, this is a highly important text--I am glad it was confidently read.
the problem of modern ethics
Burnis
interesting text and the reader was very good, offers various ideas
Uraniasters?
Vivia
Something really different. Thanks for your hard work Mr. Geeson. Great job!!
good book well read
Thiago Coelho
Very good and interesting study, well read