Week 1, Pornography, Longino

Question 1

Claim

Answer 1

Declarative sentence. Fact or purported fact.

Question 2

Argument

Answer 2

A set of claims, at least one premise and one conclusion.

Question 3

Premise

Answer 3

A claim that is meant to support the conclusion.

Question 4

Conclusion

Answer 4

A claim at least on premise is meant to support.

Question 5

An argument is convincing if

Answer 5

the premises are sufficient.

Question 6

An argument is valid if

Answer 6

the premises guarantee the conclusion.

Question 7

Longino’s stance on pornography

Answer 7

Pornography is harmful to women and no one has the right to manufacture or distribute it. It supports sexist beliefs and degrades women.

Pornography is immoral because it is harmful to people.

Question 8

How does Longino define pornography?

Answer 8

Representations of sexual behaviour that degrades females and endorses the degradation of women.

Question 9

What is necessary for a representation to be considered pornography according to Longino?

Answer 9

A lack of mutual respect coupled with approval of this degradation.

Question 10

What are Longino’s three distinct arguments against pornography?

Answer 10

1) Pornography is implicated in the committing of crimes of violence against women.
2) Pornography cultivates lies about women.
3) Pornography perpetuates subordination of women.

Question 11

Longino’s argument from endorsement.

Answer 11

P1: Pornography endorse degrading and abusive behaviour toward women.

P2. If pornography endorses degrading and abusive behaviour toward women then it is morally wrong.

C. Pornography is morally wrong.

Question 12

What are some criticisms for Longino’s argument from endorsement?

Answer 12

Does this apply outside of heteronormative representations of sex?

No argument for Longino’s own definition. We must accept Longino’s definition of pornography, and it is too narrow.

Does not include degradation of men.

“Endorsement is in the eye of the beholder”. Just because we are talking about it or representing it doesn’t mean we are endorsing it.

Question 13

Longino’s argument from slander.

Answer 13

P1. Pornography slanders women.

P2. If pornography slanders women then it’s immoral.

C. Pornography is immoral.

Question 14

Who does she mean when Longino refers to ‘women’?

Answer 14

Women as a whole, all women.

Question 15

What are the four ways pornography represents degrading and abusive sexual behaviour toward women, according to Longino?

Answer 15

1. Women’s roles are limited to providing sexual services to men.
2. Women are objectified.
3. Women are treated as inferior or unequal.
4. There is harm to women in pornography.

Question 16

What two considerations does Longino cite in support of the claim that these representations constitute endorsement of degrading and abusive sexual behaviour toward women?

Answer 16

1. By representing degradation of women as pleasurable to all.
2. And in addition, by offering no suggestion that this treatment is inappropriate.

(to make it look so great and then to not say anything to challenge that)

Question 17

For the second premise of the argument from endorsement, what does immoral mean?

Answer 17

Immoral behaviour is behaviour that potentially harms people physically and/or psychologically.

Question 18

What analogy seems to suggest that premise two in the argument from endorsement is true?

Answer 18

If there was one individual making such claims about women, and endorsing degrading behaviour toward women, we would have a big problem with that. We would say this person is immoral.

Question 19

What does Longino mean by the word ‘slander’?

Answer 19

Spreading falsehoods that damages a person’s reputation.

Question 20

What justification does Longino offer for the claim that pornography slanders all women?

Answer 20

Pornography tells lies about women broadly, it’s the female actor’s womanhood that justifies the treatment given to her. Womanhood is something all women share. Therefore we are not speaking about the specific actor, but about all women.

Question 21

What are three lies that Longino claims that pornography tells about women?

Answer 21

1. “Women’s sexual life is or ought to be subordinate to the service of men”
2. “Women’s pleasure consists of pleasing men and not themselves”
3. Women are depraved, fit subjects for rape, bondage, torture, and murder.