Morality and Ethics of Pornography

[Col. Tartleton]

Is pornography: Good, Neutral, or Wrong, and why do you feel that way?

[Saturn]

Please define what you mean by "good," "neutral," and "wrong."

[Squiggle]

Please define what you mean by "good," "neutral," and "wrong."

Your not being deep, intelligent or witty by asking the definitions of basic words. If you dont agree with the metaphysical notions presented by such words, and feel that stops you from answering the question, dont answer the question. If you feel good and bad is subjective, give your subjective answer and clarify it as such. But please, dont for the love of God, pretend that this question is deep or meaningful to the thread.

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Yes, it is wrong. Sex is for a monogamous marriage, anything else is a sin. Done.

[Saturn]

Your not being deep, intelligent or witty by asking the definitions of basic words. If you dont agree with the metaphysical notions presented by such words, and feel that stops you from answering the question, dont answer the question. If you feel good and bad is subjective, give your subjective answer and clarify it as such. But please, dont for the love of God, pretend that this question is deep or meaningful to the thread.

Please forgive my incessant trolling.

Personally, I think it's wrong, but I feel hypocritical for saying so.

Pornography is a great service to humanity.

It educates.
It releases tension.
It gives men not getting enough sex in their relationships or not having one at all an outlet.
It provides relatively high paying jobs to those with few job skills.
It has helped progress modern visual communication technology more than any other single industry be it instant cameras or the internet.

I really can't find anything wrong with it. There can be wrong circumstances where people involved were forced, or the like, but you find that in shoe factories too.

This only makes sense if you view everything from a utilitarian standpoint. Although there are a few ways you could argue otherwise.

[Phier]

This only makes sense if you view everything from a utilitarian standpoint.

And don't think sex is immoral or icky somehow when done for pure pleasure outside of marriage.

[Saturn]

And don't think sex is immoral or icky somehow when done for pure pleasure outside of marriage.

Which would be a utilitarian argument. I guess I don't get were you're saying.

[Saturn]

*Double post

[The Dude]

Yes, it is wrong. Sex is for a monogamous marriage, anything else is a sin. Done.

Sex is meaningless. There's no difference between having sex and eating food. Basic human functions. Dolphins are known to have sex for fun. Sinful animals? They don't even -know- what sin is.

[Brain_in_a_vat]

Sex is meaningless. There's no difference between having sex and eating food. Basic human functions. Dolphins are known to have sex for fun. Sinful animals? They don't even -know- what sin is.

Teh Bible ses is wron' boy! Hol' on a minute.... /hick accent

God didn't say sex outside of marriage was bad by the way guys, it was a bunch of jealous shepherd guys who lived a few thousand years ago who wanted to have more control over their women. Sex is sex, it's neither 'good' nor 'bad'. Like somebody said earlier, it's a basic human function. Is eating, drinking or sleeping classifiable as right or wrong? I'm sure most of you would say no. But is filming oneself eating or drinking wrong?

What a crock of nonsense.

[Col. Tartleton]

Do you think it is moral, amoral, or immoral?

Do you think it's exploitive or not?
Do you think that it is beneficial?
Do you think it promotes a dangerous lifestyle?
Do you think it degrades women?
Do you think it projects false standards of sex?
...
Do you think fake tits are awesome or gross?
etc.

You know, the range of possible moral questions.

Pornography is unfortunate. Archbishop Fulton Sheen said that pornography effectively moves the fig leaf from the genitals up to the face. It's all about taking pleasure in human bodies, not in human beings. The idea of love is perverted from pure spiritual love of others into a physical 'love' of lust. It's voyeurism of the most useless type. What a shame that we would debase men and women (and children, at times...) with this.

Good post btw.

[Corvis]

Do you think fake tits are awesome or gross?

Mostly I find fake breasts disgusting, like hard, motionless grapefruits. Sometimes breast "augmentation" looks natural to me and I find myself surprised when I learn it's fake. Just depends on whether the woman went to a good plastic surgeon or a shady guy in a shed and who said he had a scalpel and some anesthesia.

[Khassaki]

Do you think it is moral, amoral, or immoral? My personal morals don't extend to interfering in other people's lifestyle so I have no opinion.

Do you think it's exploitive or not? Its sex, its an imperative that various people deal with in various ways. Women use both toys and pornography themselves, so its not a purely male addiction. All of my girlfriends have toys, and buying them toys for christmas is a staple of mine

Is it beneficial? Clearly if it stops males from humping random female legs (or worse) its a good thing. Sexual frustration is not a minor issue, especially for kids, so dealing with it though pornography is both sensible and useful. Telling them they will burn in hell if they touch their willie is far less helpful.

Do you think it promotes a dangerous lifestyle? Nope

Do you think it degrades women? Nope, that appears to be the job of fashion magazines that tells them they are fat if they can't fit in a size 6 dress.

Do you think it projects false standards of sex? No, sex is a far less serious business than most gods would have you believe.

Do you think fake tits are awesome or gross? Fake tits are bizarre, they look and feel horrible and generally the owner has lost all feeling in her nipples. Its another self esteem thing that is better dealt with by a psychologist rather than a plastic surgeon. It seems mostly to be about cleavage, which is also a concept I still have trouble understanding.

[Shams al-Ma'rifa]

Sexual frustration is not a minor issue, especially for kids, so dealing with it though pornography is both sensible and useful. Telling them they will burn in hell if they touch their willie is far less helpful.

Societal pressure is one of the reasons why kids get sexually frustrated.. If you don't have sex in high school you're a loser, so you get frustrated when you can't have sex. There would be less frustration if there wasn't so much pressure to shag everything that moves..

Frustration could also arise from psycho-biological addiction but then why would you encourage the addiction by suggesting porno..

Clearly if it stops males from humping random female legs (or worse) its a good thing.

This is the equivalent of giving booze to an alcoholic in order to relieve "frustration".. Clearly a good idea

Sex is meaningless. There's no difference between having sex and eating food. Basic human functions. Dolphins are known to have sex for fun. Sinful animals? They don't even -know- what sin is.

Like somebody said earlier, it's a basic human function.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_nature


Porno is bad because is makes it significantly harder to maintain monogamous thoughts about your partner and encourages a certain type of mindset which makes you lust over every attractive woman you see instead of seeing them as actual people.. It's hard enough without the porno.

[Khassaki]

This is the equivalent of giving booze to an alcoholic in order to relieve "frustration".. Clearly a good idea

Trying to hump everything that moves isn't a social pressure, its called hormones and is a biological imperative. Abstinence has clearly not been a success in the Catholic priesthood, who are its main proponents.

This is the equivalent of giving booze to an alcoholic in order to relieve "frustration".. Clearly a good idea

Sure, if being drunk has no side effects and makes you feel less stressed.

[The Dude]

Porno is bad because is makes it significantly harder to maintain monogamous thoughts about your partner

So a challenge is bad? Also, there is no proof for this claim.

and encourages a certain type of mindset which makes you lust over every attractive woman

Any proof for this claim aswell?

you see instead of seeing them as actual people.. It's hard enough without the porno.

If you have problems with looking at the opposite gender as actual people, even without looking at porn, then it seems like you've got stuff to deal with. I don't see why that should reflect on me at all. I'm just great at treating women like actual human beings.

[Khassaki]

Porno is bad because is makes it significantly harder to maintain monogamous thoughts about your partner...

You should have probably married someone you actually like then. Most of the porn I watch is purely for the entertainment value, with my partner.

... and encourages a certain type of mindset which makes you lust over every attractive woman you see instead of seeing them as actual people.. It's hard enough without the porno.

You need better porn, and probably a marriage counselor.

[Monarchist]

Pornography is unfortunate. Archbishop Fulton Sheen said that pornography effectively moves the fig leaf from the genitals up to the face. It's all about taking pleasure in human bodies, not in human beings. The idea of love is perverted from pure spiritual love of others into a physical 'love' of lust. It's voyeurism of the most useless type. What a shame that we would debase men and women (and children, at times...) with this.

[Claudius Gothicus]

Legal pornography(as in the one where 2 consenting adults each other in front of a camera too make a living) can't be said to be ''immoral'' or ''wrong''

Only Christian wackos and hard-line feminists think otherwise. And that's only because they are not getting any.

[Phier]

Pornography is a great service to humanity.

It educates.
It releases tension.
It gives men not getting enough sex in their relationships or not having one at all an outlet.
It provides relatively high paying jobs to those with few job skills.
It has helped progress modern visual communication technology more than any other single industry be it instant cameras or the internet.

I really can't find anything wrong with it. There can be wrong circumstances where people involved were forced, or the like, but you find that in shoe factories too.

[xcorps]

What a shame that we would debase men and women

Just curious, in the limited context of two (or however many) consenting adult performers, how are WE debasing THEM? At best you could say they are debasing themselves, I think. You would, imo, make a better arguement by saying that the adult film industry debases US.

Somebody who willingly performs in adult entertainment obviously has what might be considered a "corrupt" morality. You cannot debase someone who is already immoral.