The Ethics and Politics of Pornography (Hardcover)

The existence of pornography is a contemporary moral problem par excellence. Its production, exchange and consumption raise a host of moral and political concerns: coercion, exploitation, harm, freedom of expression and the promulgation of sexist attitudes. The current work demonstrates that the moral and political problems with pornography can philosophically be reduced to one overarching concept, objectification, and that a lack of philosophical subtlety in understanding that concept has led to over simplistic discussions of the subject. By drawing the concept of objectification and the related concept of alienation out of Hegelian social ethics, the current work aims to relate discussion to our current material existence and the atomism of capitalism.