Why is screwing so funny?

How should we think about our most shocking fantasies?

What is so captivating about nudity?​

On Getting Off: Sex and Philosophy is the curious reader’s companion to sex. Inspired by philosophy, literature, and private life, Damon Young explores the paradoxes of the bedroom. On Getting Off will f**k with your mind.

On Getting Off is out now in Australia, the UK and USA. Translations include Dutch (Ten Have).

Praise for the book:

'...wit and verve as well as cultural breadth and intellectual rigour. [...] Believe me: the pages fly.' - The Saturday Paper

'In this often elliptical yet candid work... nothing about sex is quite what it seems. In this respect, [Young's] cryptic, aphoristic style is reminiscent of British psychoanalyst and writer Adam Phillips.' - The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age

'It has a narrative lightness, an engaging voice, and a sense of humour... that makes it a really pleasurable read. Young has a deftness with language that lays out complex ideas with such beautifully written digestibility...' - The Irish Times (UK)

'Reading the book might for some people feel like being trapped in a corner by a verbal sex maniac. ' - Times Higher Education (UK)​

'Fresh, readable, and revealing...a very good philosophical exploration.' - Philosophy in Review

'Covering everything from “what makes sex funny?” to nakedness through the writing of Zadie Smith and Deborah Levy, it’s a book we could all do with reading.' - Stylist (UK)

'Young de positie in van een soort "anti-Freud", een psycholoog die zegt: rustig maar, er zit méér tussen je oren dan alleen "pikken en poesjes".' ('Young takes the position of a kind of "anti-Freud", a psychologist who says calm down, there is more in your mind than just "cocks and pussies".') - Trouw (NL)

'Seks verdient reflectie, stelt Young, en met dit boek wil hij de intellectuele betekenis ervan verkennen.' ('Sex deserves reflection, Young argues, and with this book he wants to explore its intellectual meaning.') - NRC (NL)​

'Possibly the best thing he’s done yet: brave, certainly, but also wise, assured, gorgeously written and deftly wide-ranging in ideas and sources.' - Patrick Stokes, author of Digital Souls

'A beautiful piece of work. It’s funny. It’s human. It really does make you think about something that’s either put on a pedestal or relegated to the toilet. A triumph.' – Krissy Kneen, author of Triptych

'I love it. I am very much entertained and interested. Riveting.'– Ginger Gorman, author of Troll Hunting

'Very interesting, and very delicately and precisely written.' – Guy Windsor