Philippine E-Journals

Problematics of Homosexuality: Can Foucault Liberate The Gays? (An Exposee, an Evaluation, and a Critical Analysis of the Phenomenon of Homosexuality)

Eddie R. Babor

Discipline: Philosophy, Social Science, Sexuality, Gender Studies

 

Abstract:

The problematics of homosexuality can be sketched in the context of recognition, repression, concealment, and disclosure. All these involve public policy, social legislations, and morality. As the title suggests, this paper is developed into three parts, namely: 1) exposee, 2) evaluation, and 3) critical analysis. It is in the last part where the paper attempts to draw much of Foucault’s thoughts on homosexuality. I regret, however, that the topic may appear boorish as it is being placed on the lofty grounds of philosophy since, usually, what we know of philosophy is its cunning, bristling, animated, and sometimes, even a throbbing “romance” with “reality” through the dynamism of epistemology, metaphysics, ontology, ethics, modernism, postmodernism, postpostmodernism, structuralism, hermeneutics, existentialism, phenomenology, pragmatism, positivism, deconstruction, critical theory, and so on, and so forth. In a word, philosophy requires some heavy and hard dosages of “painful” thinking, concentration, reflection, analysis, synthesis, comparison, and the like. But, with the topic that I have decided to present to you, I wish that I may succeed in inviting you to join me in an attempt to reinventing the “nature” or “direction” of philosophy by placing it in the domain of what is deemed pleasurable – that is, let us try to make philosophy an endeavor of sexy matters and interests.