Excerpt from Essays: Practical and SpeculativeBut in the case of sex relationships it may as well be confessed that Nature does not seem to know her own mind. This is the origin Of the Whole moral con fusion upon the subject. In regard to other appetites and desires Nature is a trustworthy guide. Their existence is prima facie proof of their 1nnocence. They are warnings of needs. They protect them selves against abuse by the sense oi satiety. For other moral prohibitions the reason is so evident in the nature of things that the understanding is ready to uphold the conscience in its mandates. But in the case before us we cannot follow the guidance of Nature. The instant that proposal is baldly made, all men see that it will not work. As a social rule, it is condemned by the practically unanimous vote of so ciety. And it is not civilized and Christian society alone which condemns it. Unregulated intercourse at will is not permitted even by the lowest savages.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.