Pornography

Abstract

This chapter discusses pornography, which is often defended on the basis of freedom of speech or expression. Even if some pornography is not just offensive but actively harmful, it is speech; and, as such, enjoys the special protections generally extended to speech in liberal societies. In the United States, pornography even enjoys legal protection under the free speech clause of the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The chapter then critically examines the traditional free speech defence of pornography, as well as prominent feminist arguments for legal regulation of some pornography, before turning to consider a surprising but increasingly influential free speech-based line of argument against pornography. In discussing these matters, the primary focus will be on general issues of political morality, rather than questions of legal interpretation.