Download Moral Criticism and the Social Meaning of Prostitution

UW-Rock County
Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Friendship
"Moral Criticism and the
Social Meaning of Prostitution"
Stewart
Stephen E. Schmid
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UW-Rock County
Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Friendship
Strategy
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To argue against a couple of Shrage's core beliefs about the social
views of women
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To argue against social meaning as a justification for moral status
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"...my central purpose is to challenge the assumption that the
social meaning of a practice is decisive in determining its
moral status or the moral rightness of condoning it." (81)
Stephen E. Schmid
2
UW-Rock County
Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Friendship
Against Shrage's "1. Belief That Humans Possess
Strong Sexual Appetites"
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Stewart thinks this view may be implicitly held, but Shrage's
argument for it is not justified
•
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Humans do exhibit a potential for strong sexual appetite
Dani example is not as strong as Shrage needs it to be
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Anthropologist Heider comments that the Dani are "unique"
and "quite exceptional" in this regard
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The Dani also lack energy and enthusiasm, are
unintellectual, and not artistically inclined
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Stewart wonders if a level of sexual interest seen in our
society is indicative of a "general level of motivation and
creativity characteristic of advanced cultures" (82)
Stephen E. Schmid
3
UW-Rock County
Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Friendship
Against Shrage's "2. Assumption That Men Are
Naturally Suited for Dominant Social Roles"
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Stewart thinks there's no more cultural justification for saying
that one sex is more suited for some social roles than another
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Our understanding of social structures and processes is
incomplete
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It makes no more sense to reject male dominance as it does to
assert male dominance, given our incomplete knowledge
In addition, it might be necessary to further distinguish
domination in sexual relations
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Some men are more sexually dominant, while some women
(Stewart suggests prostitutes) are more dominant
Stephen E. Schmid
4
UW-Rock County
Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Friendship
Stewart on Shrage
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"Shrage provides no real grounds for the implausible claims that
prostitution perpetuates beliefs of the sort mentioned, and that
these beliefs are in turn the sole support of the practice as we
know it today." (82)
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Stephen E. Schmid
UW-Rock County
Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Friendship
On Shrage's Core Argument
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Is eating dogs or cat immoral or just "distasteful"?
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What does Stewart think?
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Compare to interracial marriage – Is it immoral or
unacceptable for some in society?
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Compare to being a rape victim in Middle East countries –
Is it morally wrong to be a victim?
In all three cases, Stewart thinks it might be "distasteful" or
might offend people, there is nothing morally wrong with
puppy burgers, interracial marriage, or being a rape victim.
Stephen E. Schmid
6
UW-Rock County
Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Friendship
Homosexuality as Analogous to Prostitution
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There's an even better analogy with prostitution —
homosexuality
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Many find drag queens in gay parades disgusting,
unacceptable, and detrimental to homosexuals generally
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Stewart thinks that such behavior alone is not immoral
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"Yet we should tolerate this behavior, even if it offends
many; it is immoral only if it is intended to harm others in
certain substantial ways, and in fact does." (83)
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Stephen E. Schmid
UW-Rock County
Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Friendship
Nothing Immoral About Prostitution
•
Stewart concludes that there is nothing immoral about
prostitution "per se"
•
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It might be morally wrong on other grounds, however
Stewarts main point is that Shrage has not made the case that "social
meaning" alone makes prostitution morally impermissible
If Shrage had shown that
i. there are harmful results from condoning and participating in
prostitution
ii. or, that women are denied opportunities in society because they are
or have been prostitutes
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Then, the "appropriate strategy" would be to change the
appropriate beliefs or attitudes causing said harms
Stephen E. Schmid
8
UW-Rock County
Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Friendship
Is Stewart Self-contradictory?
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Stewart argues that Shrage's relativism is unjustifiable
However, the last sentence of the essay looks relativistic itself:
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"This moral position becomes more defensible when we
realize that it is the individual meaning, that is, how actors
view themselves, their motives, and their partners, not the
social meaning, of conduct that is most relevant morally." (83)
Is Stewart contradicting himself?
Or, might one argue that moral relativism itself is unjustifiable?
If so, then Stewart's position is no more justifiable than Shrage's.
Stephen E. Schmid
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