We looked at 3 simple arguments concerning pornography, feminism, and free speech--2 against pornography, and 1 for. They are reproduced below; we will discuss them in detail in class.

1st Argument Against (reproduced roughly from Longino's "Pornography, Oppression, and Freedom: A Closer Look"):

Premise 1. If something is harmful or injurious to people (or if can be shown to violate people in some way), then it is immoral.
Premise 2. Pornography is harmful or injurious to people (or can be shown to violate them in some way).
Conclusion: Therefore, pornography is immoral.

Argument For

Premise 1: Pornography is a form of speech.
Premise 2: Freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment.
Conclusion: Pornography is protected by the First Amendment.

2nd Argument Against (reproduced roughly from Rae Langton's "Speech Acts and Unspeakable Acts" [JSTOR link] and Ishani Maitra's "Silencing Speech"):

Premise 1: Pornography silences women.
Premise 2: A speaker who is silenced suffers an infringement of her right to free speech.
Conclusion: Pornography infringes on a woman's right to free speech.

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