Infamous French reprobate Marquis de Sade’s Philosophy in the Bedroom is a radical statement of intent. In the wake of the French Revolution, de Sade [1740-1814] makes his case for absolute freedom and equality, and he makes it very clear that as far as he is concerned, there can never be any individual freedom until all forms of arbitrary authority are abolished.

Sade was essentially a Libertarian, but in the most extreme sense.

He believed that pretty much ‘anything goes.’

But I might still rather fend for myself in de Sade’s Republic than live in Thomas Hobbes’ Commonwealth. I’d almost prefer to take my chances in a world where ‘anything goes’ than be forced to exist in a society where there are so many laws that we are all criminals.

I can see de Sade’s point that civilized culture is filled with so many arbitrary rules and regulations that we’ve hardly got any freedoms left anymore. This is certainly more true today than ever before, thanks to stuff like the vile “War on Drugs” and Orwellian legislation like the PATRIOT ACT.

Sade takes his views on human Free Will to the extreme, but he makes some compelling points. He reasons that the very essence of humanity is the freedom to express oneself. And he asserts that true freedom must have no limitations and should not be restricted in any way.

Marquis de Sade thought that we, as “self-interested beings” must rid ourselves of all of man’s arbitrary and unjust laws before we can ever arrive at True, absolute freedom.

Sade was writing during the ‘Philosophical Enlightenment’ whose goal was to do away with all so-called ‘divine’ authority [the Monarchy] over people’s lives and put moral responsibility back onto the individual. It makes no sense to simply substitute State authority [per Hobbes] for divine authority, as was the status quo prior to the Enlightenment.

Marquis de Sade argues that as long as one group of self-interested individuals is allowed to make the laws for everyone, the laws will always be unequal. According to de Sade, no matter how qualified or astute they are, the people who make the laws have no real right to govern over anyone but themselves.

It is certainly true that no set of laws can protect everyone’s interests; especially not those of someone as uniquely disturbed and perverted as Marquis de Sade..!

Sade wanted to overthrow all forms of illegitimate authority because his tastes were so outside social norms. Certainly the average person does not share de Sade’s penchant for sodomy and torture…

But the argument he puts forth has some validity, particularly in regards to ‘illegitimate’ authority. I tend to agree that our society [especially in the USA] is far too prudish, judgemental, and sexually repressed.

As self-interested human beings de Sade believed that Freedom is our ultimate goal. He acknowledged that we all have different tastes and intuitions, but he also argued that it is not natural to restrict our basic urges or passions in any way. He happened to prefer buggery…

Clearly de Sade had ulterior motives for pushing this line of reasoning in Philosophy in the Bedroom, but if indeed freedom is the essence of being human, then there should be no compromise.

Whether that’s true or not is another question entirely.