Critique of Ridley's 'Emma Bovary' Theory on Female Orgasm Evolution

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Student’s name (Surname)
WOON
(Given names)
RUI SHENG
ID number 27733998 Phone [phone]
Unit name Thinking about Science Unit code ATS2867
t
Title of assignment (Expos / AT / Essay) Assessment task 3 – Essay
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Due date 25-1-2019 Date submitted 27-1-19 (2 days extension granted)
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http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/philosophy/resources-for-undergraduate-students/
Tutor: Luke Thompson Mark: Pass /100
Comments: Because I think many of the mistakes in this are typographical errors or similar I think it can
earn a pass, but a lot more work is needed to get you more than that. This is an unofficial copy that has an
indicative grade only. A copy with an exact mark and grade will be forwarded to you by the flexible learning
office.
Marking Criteria:
1. Argument
A. The essay does address the question set. 3
B. It argues for a clearly articulated conclusion. 3
C. The argument of the essay is well structured and cogent. 4
2. Understanding of primary text.
A. The essay demonstrates a sound and first-hand understanding of the
text.
4
B. It adequately cites the primary text in support of interpretive claims. 4
C. It avoids including material that is not relevant to the purposes of the
essay.
3
D. It omits no material that is crucially relevant to the purposes of the essay. 4
3. Effective use of secondary texts
A. Secondary texts are well chosen and clearly understood. 3
B. Judicious use is made of them in the argument of the essay. 3
C. Citation is properly done. 3
4. Presentation
A. Style clear and succinct. 5
B. Grammatical and spelling errors have been avoided. 4
1 = excellent; 2 = good; 3 = solid work, appropriate to year-level; 4 = just barely acceptable; 5 = not good
enough for year-level
What this essay does well:
You are clearly familiar with the material and have taken a great deal of care to review your work in light of
comments and second thoughts.
What it could do better:
You really need to watch your self-expression and either devote more time to proofreading your work or get
someone else to proofread for you.
Lloyd criticises a number of explanations of the evolution of female orgasm, and proposes an
alternative. Would she also criticise Ridley’s ‘Emma Bovary’ theory? Should she? Why? Could Lloyd
justifiably claim that the ‘Emma Bovary’ theory is an example of pseudoscientific posturing?
Sexual arousal in very generic terms, refers to the physical stimulus caused by the mental reaction on
coming across something that is erotic and increases the sexual drive of the human body, and it is considered
as one of the components of sexuality. Sexuality is not just a biological aspect as the psychological aspect is
also related to it, and they are complimentary to each other, however the transgenders are an exception to
this rule. Hence it would be very wrong to synonymize sexual urge and sexuality, as the very act of
consummating a sexual experience is something which cannot be devoid of either the physiological or the

psychological aspect of human sexual behaviour. The aromantic people are however an exception to this
rule. In this regard it also needs to be specified that since sex and sexuality involves the machinations of
both physiology and psychology, hence it has to be made clear that it is expressed in form of a phenomenon
differently in both the male and female body (Marsh, 2017). That is so because the physiological and
psychological construct of both the sexes are fundamentally different from each other. In this particular
essay the works of Matt Ridley and Elizabeth Lloyd shall be discussed and then on the basis of a
comparative analysis, it shall be determined whether Lloyd shall consider Ridley’s work to be a
pseudoscience or not.
To begin with, down the years in the patriarchal public space, whether in popular culture, in
entertainment media, or even in abstract portrayal of women in literary masterpieces, the issue of female
sexuality has been a highly sensational and a mysterious topic of discussion. It has forever been a topic of
curiosity and interest as it is replete with elements which is bound to incite excitement and stir up the urge to
discover the unknown and the undiscovered. From a biological perspective, female sexuality is extremely
varied and nuanced, unlike the male sexuality which is governed solely on the basis of the cause and effect
relationship, although that is debateable, since the male sexuality is also nuanced as per the recent studies
(Marsh, 2017). That can be attributed to the fact that from the perspective of the natural, biological and
physiological construct of the male and the female, which analogous. For example, the clitoris and the penis
are quite analogous to each other. While the construction of the male body and its biological processes are
simpler, on the other hand that of the female body is extremely complicated and that is reflected in the
relative differences of the sexuality exuded by both the sexes, however there are also instances which show
that the male sexuality is also nuanced to some extent (Marsh, 2017).
It would however be very wrong to say that the aspect of sexuality has not at all been subject to any
form of social control and the natural biological process of sexuality has been allowed by the sexes to be
cherished with a degree of equality. As it has already been mentioned that in the patriarchal social setting,
the female sexuality has been a subject of sensation and of excitement of men, and also a tool for
channelizing it for controlling the women (Diem-Wille, 2018). The masculine gender has from time to time
subjected the female sexuality to control mechanisms to suit their own sensibilities and the convenience.
Unfortunately, that has happened at the cost of depriving any holistic enquiry about sexual behaviour of the
female sex. It would however not be wrong to say that the female sexual behaviour has been suppressed
with regard to its development and expression in a justified manner, in comparison to the leverage provided
to the sexuality of the male sex to exude itself. The female sexuality has been subjected to control just to
ensure that the patriarchal domination is kept intact, which means that by controlling the sexual urges of
women, the women have been subjected to patriarchal control. Thus it is being meant here that female
sexuality has been suppressed and allowed to be expressed as per the advantages of the male sex (Nobus,
2018). While on the other hand female sexuality has also been caused to be liberated to ensure that the male
sexuality finds fulfillment and seeks accomplishment. Based on this premise the discussion shall be focusing
on the aspect of female orgasm and its evolution with regard to the work of two scholars, Ridley and Lloyd.