Week 2, Longino and Feinberg Flashcards
What is Longino’s argument from physical violence?
P1. Exposure to pornography increases the likelihood of committing violent sexual acts.
P2. If exposures to pornography increases the likelihood of committing violent sexual acts then is is morally wrong.
C. Pornography is morally wrong.
What reason does Longino give in support of premise one in her argument from physical violence?
“Growing body of research”, an empirical claim.
What does Longino mean by ‘immoral’ in her argument from physical violence?
If something indirectly causes harm then it is causing harm. Anything that causes harm to other people is immoral and morally wrong.
What general principle does the second premise of Longino’s argument from physical violence appeal to?
To indirectly cause an immoral act is morally wrong.
Give an example that seems to support the general principle in Longino’s argument from physical violence.
Assassin. Hiring an assassin to kill someone else is indirectly causing that person to die.
What are some critiques of the argument from violence?
Assumes that the cause of the sexual violent acts is pornography. -maybe people who are more likely to commit violent crimes are more likely to watch pornography.
All the empirical data technically shows is a correlation. Not necessarily a causation.
What is the argument from Freedom of Expression?
P1. Legal control of pornography limits free expression.
P2. If legal control of pornography limits free expression then legal control of pornography violates the Candian Charter of Rights and Privileges.
C1. The legal control of pornography violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Privileges.
C2. Pornography should not be illegal/legally controlled.
What is legal control?
Restriction of the liberty to produce and distribute pornography and of consumers to purchase and use pornography.
Making certain forms of pornography illegal.
What does Feinberg mean by ‘pornography’ in his freedom of expression argument?
We can use Longino’s definition of pornography. Sexual representations of women that are degrading.
What does Feinberg mean by freedom of expression and whose freedom of expression is he talking about?
Freedom to express values and beliefs through speech and physical movement. The freedom of expression for both producers and consumers of porn.
What does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms say about freedom of expression?
Individuals have a right to freedom of expression up until it is considered hate speech.
What does it mean to say that freedom of expression is a fundamental right?
It’s a basic right, it’s a principle right.
What are some objections to the argument from freedom of Expression?
There are already limits to freedom of expression under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Privileges.
What does Feinberg say against the argument against pornography from slander?
It is a slippery slope. If pornography is illegal because it spreads lies about women then other media that does the same will have to be illegal too. Like Tide commercials. There are sexist portrayals of women everywhere.
What does Feinberg say against the argument against pornography from physical violence?
The research is ambiguous. Pornography does not always lead to violence. There is a difference between correlation and causation.
If if there was a correlation, it could be that people disposed to violent crime are more disposed to pornography. We don’t know which precedes the other.
Also there are copy cat crimes, if we make anything that could be violently repeated illegal then what will we have left? How is pornography then different from a horror movie? Or a murder mystery novel?
