"Varden develops an inclusive theory of sex, love, and gender — a theory based on a deep, creative exposition of Immanuel Kant's writing that overcomes the philosophical mistakes and limitations of Kant's work on these issues." - J. A. Kegley, CHOICE
"This book draws on Kant's philosophy to construct a compelling philosophical account of sex, love, and gender that speaks to the lives of heterosexual, polysexual, polyamorous people, as well as those belonging to the LGBTQIA community. What makes Varden's project unique is her sensitivity to sexual diversity, as well as her acknowledgement of the fact that we are rational, yet also embodied, social beings... Varden thoroughly engages with the existing Kantian literature and overcomes much of what has created puzzlement, scorn, and even a total abandonment of Kant's views, especially by feminist philosophers." - Lina Papadaki, Con-Textos Kantianos
"Sex, Love, and Gender is an ambitious work. . . . [its] major contribution is that it addresses much neglected subjects in the literature on Kant's practical philosophy, while making the case to non-Kantians that the Kantian tradition has something important to contribute to contemporary discourse on sex, love, and gender. . . . We can all look forward to the rich discourse Varden's book will undoubtedly inspire." - Melissa Seymour Fahmy, Mind
"Helga Varden's Sex, Love, and Gender: A Kantian Theory is an extraordinarily ambitious, systematic account of sexual love, sexual and gender identity, and sexual orientation viewed through a Kantian lens. . . . what Varden has given us here is nothing short of a radically new, cohesive, and wide-reaching encapsulation of Kant's entire theory of human nature, one that stands to upend (and ultimately rectify) more than a half-century of mistaken interpretations of Kant's views." - Carol Hay, SGIR Review
"a bold first attempt to bring Kant's theory to bear on issues surrounding sex, love, and gender. But to my mind, it makes an equally valuable contribution to the movement in Kant scholarship to uncover and develop the rich and nuanced account of human nature embedded within his moral theory." - Janelle DeWitt, SGIR Review
"sweeping, challenging, and imaginative'" - Jennifer Ryan Lockhart, SGIR Review
"In this impressive monograph, Helga Varden collects and builds on years of work to generate a systematic, feminist and inclusive theory of sex, love and gender grounded in Kant's philosophy. . . . Sex, Love, and Gender is, in equal measure, a well-organized and thought provoking book. . . . While her theory of sex, love and gender cannot erase Kant's sexist or homophobic assumptions, it brilliantly uses some of the finest resources of Kantian philosophy to come to a new understanding of a fundamental aspect of human life." - Charlotte Sabourin, Kantian Review
"This groundbreaking book is quite simply a tour de force. Even Kant's defenders don't expect him to be a fruitful source of theorizing about gender, sexuality and sex, but Varden presents an impressively systematic and deep theory which synthesizes resources from his moral, political, legal and anthropological writings to give a rich account of our embodied, social human nature, the role in our lives of good sex, an analysis of sexual oppression and violence, and an important account on the role of the law and justice in relation to these. Clearly written, accessible, and avoiding jargon wherever possible, it will be a landmark in the literature for years to come." - Lucy Allais, University of California, San Diego
"Sex, Love, and Gender offers a unified philosophical theory of human nature, freedom, and political right that is at once ardently feminist and genuinely Kantian. Helga Varden brings out of Kant's philosophy a theory of human nature that explains our deepest needs and desires, and why sexual violence, gender oppression, and denial of full recognition of our sexual and gender identities are so deeply hurtful and wrong. Professor Varden applies these theories to controversial philosophical issues surrounding sex and gender, including pornography, sex work, and abortion, and derives powerful and novel arguments. This magnificent book will be widely read and influential in both Kant scholarship and feminist philosophy." - Ann E. Cudd, University of Pittsburgh
"This book combines an impressively detailed and systematic exposition of Kant's practical philosophy, which forms the backbone of the argument, with analysis of a range of positions in law, anthropology, and social and political theory. Varden makes a powerful case for reading texts from the history of philosophy in light of present and urgent concerns. She combines originality, scholarship, and a quality not often found and rarely sought in philosophical arguments — passion. The book's compassionate advocacy of embodied social human nature makes this Kantian theory of sex, love, and gender nothing less than a theory of the human good." - Katerina Deligiorgi, University of Sussex
"With her signature wit and grace, Varden cuts through centuries of interpretative blind spots, demonstrating how to read a canonical figure such as Kant critically yet charitably...She shows how it's possible take Kant on his own terms while simultaneously making his work relevant to important contemporary issues...Sex, Love, and Gender is the book we need. It's the book that feminist and LGBTQIA scholars need to finally, definitively convince Kantian scholars that there are pressing issues of justice that need to be taken seriously. And it's the book Kantians need to show these same anti-oppression scholars what it looks like when we start using the master's tools to dismantle the master's house." - Carol Hay, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
