Socrates: And it's been a while since I have seen you. We really must chat more often.
X: Sorry, Socrates. I'm low on time.
Socrates: Low on time? Do you mean that we'll have to cut our conversation short instead of letting it wander down its natural course?
X: Er, yes.
Socrates: That is very disappointing. But since you are short on time, let's get started, shall we?
X: OK. Here's my question. What harm does homosexuality do to people and to society?
Socrates: Well, let's start with the most obvious answer. Isn't homosexuality sterile by nature?
X: Yes.
Socrates: So if everyone were homosexual, what would happen?
X: Man would die off. It's as simple as that.
Socrates: Exactly. So wouldn't it appear that homosexuality is not at all the way for man to fulfill his nature, since he does not even replace himself by it?
X: I think so.
Socrates: All right. Now, what is the basic building block of society?
X: The individual.
Socrates: Is that so?
X: No, Socrates. I'm just trying to provoke you to ask more questions.
Socrates: An interesting tactic. I don't need to be asked to ask. Well then, where does the individual come from?
X: A pair of parents, obviously. A man and a woman.
Socrates: And what do a pair of parents and their children together constitute?
X: A family.
Socrates: So isn't the family--and not the individual--the basic building block of society?
X: Yes.
Socrates: Then wouldn't it appear that whatever is changed here and whatever is taught here will affect the entire structure of society?
X: Yes.
Socrates: So if, for example, all children are taught and shown that they must love each other no matter what, then society as a whole is likely to be much closer to the ideal?
X: Correct.
Socrates: Now, let us apply this new principle to a less agreeable topic. What happens when children are taught and shown that homosexuality is "OK"? Won't children probably come to assume that sex is all about pleasure, and not about love and family?
X: Yes.
Socrates: Why, then, will these children--when they become adults--feel inclined to put the effort into raising a family if they are not taught that sex brings responsibility along with it? Won't they be inclined instead to not have any children--or very few--and wouldn't they use people as objects for their own gratification?
X: Yes Socrates. Homosexuality, like contraception, separates pleasure from procreation, which the Church absolutely forbids. The separation of pleasure from procreation causes people to treat each other as objects; it causes people to see other people as means to their own pleasure. But this selfishness would not be exclusive to sex. It would permeate every aspect of life. Therefore, the promotion of homosexuality leads to injustice in society, since people would now only use each other.
Socrates: Very true. You've become quite a logician.
X: That's practically the only syllogism I can crank out right now. Thanks a lot for the talk, Socrates. It was very refreshing and enlightening.
Socrates: You are leaving? This is all too soon. A philosopher like me is short on people with whom to converse. Thank you for your time, all the same.
X: You're welcome. Next time I hope that we will finally accomplish our object. We were supposed to define Marriage, remember?
Socrates: Yes, and we began to stray down many other paths instead. But why should you see that as a waste of time? All those questions you asked helped us to come closer to the truth, and that is never a waste of time.
X: Very true, Socrates.
X: The individual.
Socrates: Is that so?
X: No, Socrates. I'm just trying to provoke you to ask more questions.
Socrates: An interesting tactic. I don't need to be asked to ask. Well then, where does the individual come from?
X: A pair of parents, obviously. A man and a woman.
Socrates: And what do a pair of parents and their children together constitute?
X: A family.
Socrates: So isn't the family--and not the individual--the basic building block of society?
X: Yes.
Socrates: Then wouldn't it appear that whatever is changed here and whatever is taught here will affect the entire structure of society?
X: Yes.
Socrates: So if, for example, all children are taught and shown that they must love each other no matter what, then society as a whole is likely to be much closer to the ideal?
X: Correct.
Socrates: Now, let us apply this new principle to a less agreeable topic. What happens when children are taught and shown that homosexuality is "OK"? Won't children probably come to assume that sex is all about pleasure, and not about love and family?
X: Yes.
Socrates: Why, then, will these children--when they become adults--feel inclined to put the effort into raising a family if they are not taught that sex brings responsibility along with it? Won't they be inclined instead to not have any children--or very few--and wouldn't they use people as objects for their own gratification?
X: Yes Socrates. Homosexuality, like contraception, separates pleasure from procreation, which the Church absolutely forbids. The separation of pleasure from procreation causes people to treat each other as objects; it causes people to see other people as means to their own pleasure. But this selfishness would not be exclusive to sex. It would permeate every aspect of life. Therefore, the promotion of homosexuality leads to injustice in society, since people would now only use each other.
Socrates: Very true. You've become quite a logician.
X: That's practically the only syllogism I can crank out right now. Thanks a lot for the talk, Socrates. It was very refreshing and enlightening.
Socrates: You are leaving? This is all too soon. A philosopher like me is short on people with whom to converse. Thank you for your time, all the same.
X: You're welcome. Next time I hope that we will finally accomplish our object. We were supposed to define Marriage, remember?
Socrates: Yes, and we began to stray down many other paths instead. But why should you see that as a waste of time? All those questions you asked helped us to come closer to the truth, and that is never a waste of time.
X: Very true, Socrates.
"Two enthusiastic thumbs up!"
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