Honors Theses
Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Philosophy and Religion
First Advisor
Robert Westmoreland
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
In a 1981 journal article, “Is There A Right to Pornography?,” Ronald Dworkin argues that we have a right to ethical independence that includes the right to consume pornography. The purpose of this thesis is to inquire as to whether Dworkinian liberalism does entail a right to specifically internet pornography. This research is primarily focused on Ronald Dworkin’s writings in Justice for Hedgehogs, Sovereign Virtue: The Theory and Practice of Equality, and Taking Rights Seriously to describe the principles and character of Dworkinian liberalism and its philosophical relationship to the question of the right to pornography. This thesis considers contemporary pornography consumption and its prevalence as it relates to the effects of internet technology on its availability. Given the nature and the source of pornography’s influence upon the ethical landscape, this thesis argues that contemporary pornography availability undermines the conditions of dignity and that certain types of prohibition do not offend the right to ethical independence.
Recommended Citation
Nowell, Will, "Dworkinian Liberalism, the Right to Pornography, and the Internet" (2019). Honors Theses. 1006.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/1006
Accessibility Status
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