Seneca the Younger and other figures from Roman society linked sexuality to virtue by emphasizing gender roles and self-control rather than the nature of one's sexual desires. The criticism of excess and nonconformity in sexual behavior by these thinkers indicates that sexuality had a complex relationship with virtue where traditional roles were considered virtuous.
- The idea that sexuality has little to do with virtue dates back to ancient philosophers such as Seneca the Younger, who critiqued practices and norms of sexuality found in Roman society.
- These critiques often extended to sexual deviancy as related to effeminacy and the social construction of sexuality and virtue.
- For example, in one of his epistles, Seneca the Younger discusses how women who have rejected their traditional 'womanly nature' have sunk to the bodily functions of men and thus are afflicted with the maladies associated with men.
- Such perspectives illustrated a clear demarcation of roles and behaviors seen as virtuous, independent of one's sexual desires.
- Moreover, prominent societal figures like Juvenal and early Christian writers like Justin Martyr openly criticized sex workers and their patrons, while other sources indicated a concern with uncontrolled and non-conforming behaviors rather than the gender of sexual partners.
- This indicates that sexuality, especially behaviors perceived as excessive or nonconforming, was often seen as a vice, while virtue was associated with moderation and adherence to societal norms of masculinity and femininity.
- The emphasis on gender roles and self-control over the nature of sexual relationships underscores the complex views on the relationship between sexuality and virtue in ancient society.