Multiple Os

In the world of painting, chiaroscuro involves balancing light and shade to create depth and contrast throughout the whole composition. Chiaroscuro is a combination of two words: chiaro (meaning “clear”or “bright”) and scuro (meaning “obscure”’ or “dark”). Different ratios of chiaro and scuro can change the result and the feel of the painting.

Chiaroscuro can also be a lens to view one’s writing on complex topics, such as sex and orgasm, through. While no one lens is a panacea, this lens can be added to the writer’s repertoire and used along with others (e.g., this guide) to create a more holistic, compelling piece.

In the writing world, chiaro represents the clear elements, the certain dimensions, and the answers presented in or connoted from the composition. Chiaro represents light and knowledge. Scuro represents the unclear elements,the uncertain dimensions, and questions presented in or connoted from the composition. Scuro represents darkness and uncertainty.

• Chiaro elements are very certain elements: What was done in the study? What was the methodology? How many participants were there? These also include elements of the study that are well known or supported by literature.

• Scuro elements are uncertain elements: What are the limitations? What questions and perspectives did we not consider? What other ways could this information possibly be presented? What dimensions can people of many diverse walks of life contribute to the multi-dimensionality of the research topic (e.g., BDSM community, LGBTQ+ community, and people from 100+ countries)?

In my opinion, few words can encapsulate the concept of the question-answer/certainty-uncertainty/clear-unclear mix in writing like chiaroscuro. As writers, sexological epistemology–how we think about and conceptual sex and orgasm–is important, as it vines through all sections of a paper, changing elements of not only the reader’s perception but also the entire system. The implementation of chiaroscuro into writing has many intersections, including epistemology, complexity studies, marketing, capitalism, writing composition conventions, journal publication traditions and styles, academic writing styles, philosophy of science, rigor, and uncertainty. Others include technological precision, limitations of language, psychology, environment, education system, inclusivity, knowledge of multiple disciplines, budget and ability to incorporate other researchers and perspectives, knowledge of models, personal composition style, ability to write in different styles, and so on.

PREMISE

An adequate amount of clarity (chiaro) and obscurity (scuro) is required to create a deeper composition. Below, I have provided the consequences of having too much chiaro and too much scuro. I also provide symptoms of an adequate balance.

Too much chiaro or clarity:

• Researchers may inadvertently convey absolutes to the reader. They may be overconfident in findings through their own belief system, ineptness of the research field, or the researcher’s presentation of findings as irrefutable fact. This was common in the 19th century but still remains to some extent today.
• Readers are less likely to read critically and skeptically.
• Readers may interpret the article as a simple solution to a complex problem.
• The perceived plethora of knowledge in a field might make the reader not think about gaps, perhaps huge ones like inclusivity, in the literature.
• Researchers fail to mention complexity and scuro elements. A complex phenomenon cannot be wholly modeled like a food recipe or a line on a graph. It can only be more adequately modeled or more completely modeled. Problems in research questions involving complex phenomenon cannot be wholly solved, only changed to a different, perhaps more positive version of itself.

Too much scuro or obscurity:

• Researchers become intimidated by and stuck in uncertainty, especially when technology or innovation methods are required to more adequately answer a research question or questions.
• Researchers have difficulty making decisions and end up not exploring new topics.
• Research progress is stunted because researchers feel overwhelmed by the amount of obscurity and complexity.
• Readers may feel confused or give up entirely reading the article that seemingly provides no answers and little hope for answers.
• If a topic is too obscure, it may be rarely read, even if excellent scholarship produced it (See here for more info). Sometimes obscure works are found decades or centuries later and appreciated.

The proper amount of chiaro and scuro:

• The work fosters wonder, curiosity, and inspiration in the reader.
• The work contains a calculated amount of clarity, uncertainty, and skepticism. The balance of chiaro and scuro prompts readers to identify gaps in literature given the new findings.
• The work helps readers asks more questions, contemplate, and think deeper.
• The balance of chiaro and scuro leaves readers better understanding the mess of the system. Through a better understanding of the complexity, readers think of innovative ways that the problems can be changed somehow but not solved.
• The balance of chiaro and scuro helps welcome feedback and outside voices.
• The balance of chiaro and scuro helps the reader see the findings within the complexity of the whole picture.
• The ambiguity can spur innovation in readers. Readers who are outsiders to the field can be key innovators, as found in marketing research.

RECOMMENDATIONS

While determining the proper amount for chiaro and scuro is subjective and an art in itself, it provides researchers the opportunity to improve this ratio of questions and answers for a deeper, more contrastive piece that encompasses both evidence and mystery. I find chiaro as the most common element in sex and orgasmology research. Traditions of authoritarianism in science, the dominance of experts, misunderstandings of complexity, and many other factors have contributed to more chiaro elements. In other words, there is an overabundance of perceived knowledge and certainty and not enough unknowing and uncertainty. There are some exceptions where scuro elements shine, especially in feminist works and those written by minorities whose lived experiences help them to question the status quo. In general, studies on cisgender clitoris-owners have been more scuro, perhaps since it has been believed that their sexual experiences are more varied than cisgender penis-owners. Nonetheless, even the best of these studies have opportunity for more mystery, more wonder, more questions, more uncertainty, more scuro.

• Add scuro throughout the piece. Do not just say “much literature does not exist on the topic” in the Introduction and call it a day. Do not just say something in the Limitations or Future Research sections. Break writing conventions and spread scuro throughout the piece in the form of highlighting unknowns, gaps, and ambiguities and asking questions. If you or your reader feels too certain at any point given the status of the literature and your findings, add scuro.

• Provide unique philosophical questions in the paper? For instance, how ought orgasm be measured?

• Like a painter, actively manage the balance of chiaro and scuro by asking yourself questions such as: Does this sentence, paragraph, or section have more scuro or a chiaro? What might the reader leave the article believing? What are the eco-systemic implications of these beliefs? What might the readers’ questions be? How might they fit the article in with the bigger picture?

• Watch the language you use and know the epistemological system from which the language originates. If discussing a complex topic, avoid cause-effect language like “due to,” “because of,” and “caused by.” Instead use words like “correlates,” “changes,” and “associated with.” 

• Provide frameworks to add clarity to scuro elements, while at the same time, acknowledging and actively highlighting the intricacy of the scuro elements. See this article for examples of uncertainty frameworks.

• Heed to the paradox: If you think you understand something, you probably do not understand it. Because complex phenomenon cannot be wholly conceptualized, it cannot be wholly understood, only more adequately understood or more fully conceptualized. In complexity, there is no right or wrong. There are only changes in and through a system that can appear better or worse from a given vantage point.

• Create unique images that highlight the scuro element in light of your findings and knowledge (chiaro elements). Do not use stock images. Do not be afraid to create your own type of model, like a complexity-informed model or complex network with as many nodes as possible. Think: Which images and models could be most conceptually adequate and complementary towards our study, methods, approach? How can it be used to see the bigger picture? Not enough studies use pictures. Don’t continue this trend.

DISCUSSION

What other interdisciplinary lenses would you recommend for the study of sex and orgasm?