tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638402958079714573.post369750780510706730..comments2011-04-19T16:06:39.581-05:00Comments on Humanism and Human Rights: An argument against prostitution… and an argument for itDoctor Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13189506916480012553noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638402958079714573.post-24686150443957004062011-04-12T10:03:43.400-05:002011-04-12T10:03:43.400-05:00I think that Colin raises a good point, one that m...I think that Colin raises a good point, one that many of us (including myself) probably do not think about when talking about prostitution. I also tend to think that prostitution, when legalized, is more of a business transaction than a human rights violation. If it is between consenting adults, and there are rules and boundaries surrounding the act, then I do not necessarily see the act of sex in that situation as a violation just because someone is getting paid to do it. I still think that it is degrading in some ways, and can be a detrimental lifestyle choice, but overall I do not think it necessarily infringes upon a man or woman's personal human rights.HannahGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07665501401280899937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638402958079714573.post-80575421530027519682011-04-05T16:10:59.423-05:002011-04-05T16:10:59.423-05:00One thing that I find interesting in the argument ...One thing that I find interesting in the argument against prostitution is that it automatically assumes that there are only female prostitutes and that men are ALWAYS objectifying women and not vice versa. By doing this, you make the argument about oppression and the fight for equality. I am not sure if I buy that completely though, although the majority of prostitutes are women, there are such things as male prostitutes, which makes me lean more toward the side of seeing the body as being treated as a business tool rather than an oppressive gender related strife. I dunno.Colinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056233439191832412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638402958079714573.post-14353725504518121662011-04-05T15:55:52.145-05:002011-04-05T15:55:52.145-05:00Sarah, I really like that you presented both sides...Sarah, I really like that you presented both sides to the argument rather than giving your opinion. The act of prostitution is a violation of human rights in the sense that the women are force to participate in such acts through the manipulation of their minds. The women do have a choice but they are made to feel as though they are forced to take part in prostitution. So as for the claim that the women are in charge of their own mind and body, that is not completely true because the women are in a sense “brainwashed” to think that they actions are the only option. Thus, the women’s mind and body are essentially controlled by the enforcer. So the argument for prostitution does not make too much sense to me but it is a good attempt to be for prostitution itself. The women are not in control of their mind so they should be helped in terms of gaining their human rights as their human rights are being violated simply through being manipulate into participating in the “job” of prostitution.Manalihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705569791546856423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638402958079714573.post-51298012081186712982011-04-05T12:54:11.812-05:002011-04-05T12:54:11.812-05:00Sarah you're post is really intriguing. I thin...Sarah you're post is really intriguing. I think you are right in saying that "we may feel it's our moral duty to intervene when human rights are violated, we rarely feel such conviction to respond to the circumstances themselves." I think this is an important point. The fact that we are often so reluctant to respond and act on the circumstances that are involved in human rights violations says a lot about the society we live in. Why are we so quick to point out when human rights are being violated yet we don't act on the circumstances? In the case of prostitution, I think Patrick is right in saying that prostitution is degrading in itself even though you do present plausible reasoning for justifying it.Liz Fieserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05905302112464464965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638402958079714573.post-52922390523247554752011-04-04T18:47:22.580-05:002011-04-04T18:47:22.580-05:00The arguments for and against legalized prostituti...The arguments for and against legalized prostitution are well-presented here, but I'm somewhat skeptical of the effort to ground all moral or political claims in the terms of universal human rights in the abstract. While there's something to be said for the onerous conditions that would lead most prostitutes to resort to their profession, I don't think one has to conceive of prostitution as unfree or a result of particular oppressive power relations to oppose it. Simply put, prostitution is degrading and despicable in of itself, and a civilized society should not allow humanity to be treated as a commodity. We don't allow individuals to sell their organs either, however free the choice may be. <br /><br />Sometimes value judgments simply have to be made about these issues, whether or not they can be construed in terms of human rights. Not all (probably not many) moral and political questions can be resolved by an appeal to universal humanity.<br /><br />"Men have no right to what is not reasonable and what is not for their benefit."<br /><br />- BurkePatrick Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16476715428156290140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638402958079714573.post-67544400947610688502011-04-04T13:12:45.274-05:002011-04-04T13:12:45.274-05:00You can see the significance of this divide in Nev...You can see the significance of this divide in Nevada. Under current Nevada state law, any county with a population under 400,000 is allowed to license brothels if it so chooses. The towns and cities in counties that allow prostitution may regulate the trade further or prohibit it altogether. In order to legally become a prostitute in the counties where prostitution is permitted, an individual must receive a license and register with the state. As of 2009, 12 of the 16 counties in Nevada allow prostitution (only 8 of the 12 have active brothels). I imagine that the state allows prostitution because they feel that "individuals own their own bodies and their own labor services and have the absolute right to decide how those labor services should be used." They may also feel that it would be much easier to regulate prostitution in these smaller counties. If brothels were active in the the counties that contain the largest cities in Nevada (Las Vegas and Reno for example), it would be harder for the state to keep track of brothels and their prostitutes. However, the citizens in the larger counties may argue in support of the other side of the argument: prostitution is "the expression of man's control over a woman's sexuality."joytahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06439779051242456730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638402958079714573.post-7429927165470437092011-04-04T13:11:37.048-05:002011-04-04T13:11:37.048-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.joytahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06439779051242456730noreply@blogger.com