Liberalism, Radical Feminism and Prostitution: : A Reassessment of Two Perspectives on Prostitution

• Main Author: Björklund, Hampus
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Umeå universitet, Institutionen för idé- och samhällsstudier 2016
• Subjects: Filosofi; Prostitution
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-125017

The current philosophical debate about prostitution is mainly concerned with two different points of view: (a) the permissibility of prostitution and if paternalistic interference on behalf of prostitutes is legitimate in a liberal democracy, and (b) feminist objections claiming that it is the unjust structures of the patriarchy that enables and affirms the institution of female bodies being sold on an open market for the sexual desires of males. The aim of this paper is to investigate if both of these perspectives take on too narrow a view when trying to address the phenomenon of prostitution. If so, the conclusions drawn may lead to unwanted consequences making it necessary for a more context-sensitive approach and/or a broader theoretical foundation.