The Ethical Theories of Pornography
Cynthia Obrien
Introduction to ethics and social responsibility
Instructor: Mariana Dannelley
July 29, 2015
The fight to ban pornography has been an ongoing debate for years. Some believe that pornography is part of the human culture, others would disagree. We will examine ethical theories and the ethical perspective on pornography - whether it takes away our constitutional rights to view pornography or if it is the right of the law to ban pornography. Others argue that pornography ruins marriages, is degrading to women, and causes violence toward women and overall society. Even though, there are arguments to ban pornography worldwide based on moral principles because it leads to a salacious society and will embezzle lifestyles into a united oversexed culture, evidence suggests that pornography improves cultural attitudes towards sex, attitudes towards the opposite sex, and is considered a work of art.
When looking at pornography through the utilitarian, we cannot rightly will a maximum that will take the universal law. Because there are several mechanisms of displaying pornography, we would have to define as a society what pornography is. Pornography could presented a deck of playing cards, a magazine, videos, or on an ink pen, for example. Who would be the one to regulate what pornography is, what is legal and what is not legal?
Viewing pornography from the utilitarian viewpoint it is morally acceptable if it is bringing the greater good to the ones that are producing, viewing, acting, and reading. An example of this would be if an artist were painting a beautiful naked woman or perhaps naked men. In other respects, there are married couples that are enjoying each other’s company. While viewing pornography and that would be for the benefit of marriages, the utilitarian would consider this as a moral behavior.
However, there are many pro-porn arguments that...