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Book Reviews: 2026

Debating Pornography

Debating Pornography

Debating Pornography

Finished: 2026-01-15

Author: Altman, Andrew; Watson, Lori

While writing an article about morality and ethics and discussing its principles with my coworkers, the topic of pornography was brought up. I sought out a book—such as the one shown above—as I wanted to learn more about the viewpoints of others and see if I was missing anything. This book was largely a waste of my time. The author explained his viewpoint through a series of drawn-out paragraphs that made sure to nail the same handful of points home as many times as possible. They spoke about a few different perspectives and rationales for the benefits, neutrality, or evils of pornography as well as the harm it may or may not cause to the users, participants, and / or society at large.

  • The anti-porn feminists (APFs) argue that porn is bad for women, makes the public perceive them as less valuable than men, makes women earn less money, and raises the amount of violent sexual crimes in a society.
  • The pro-porn feminists (PPFs) argue that it is empowering and important for the queers and helps women feel self-empowered.
  • The anti-porn, non-feminists (APNFs) argue for similar points to the APFs. They argue that women are harmed, porn is not covered by the First Amendment, and that it damages society at large.
  • The pro-porn, non-feminists (PPNFs) argue that porn is a "moral right" afforded to people (like the ability to drink alcohol) and that it may contribute to negative situations for women and society at large, it is protected as "free speech" and not harmful in itself.

What all of these perspectives seem to share is the assumption that pornography carries some built-in moral or social meaning, which I reject. Because of this, I found very little of value in a book that treats pornography as if it must be either a social toxin or a social good. To me, that entire debate is built on assumptions I do not share, so the arguments themselves never really get off the ground.

Note: I expanded this review into a larger article located here.