Hedonism And Prostitution

Although prostitution has not ranked as a philosophical topic of the first order in the past decade, differing philosophies have influenced our world-views and shaped the way people think. Secularism as a worldview finds its truths in this present world yet denies transcendent truths, or those which are found in the metaphysical realm. Prostitution, however, subsumes issues associated with sexual fulfillment, financial independence, and freedom of choice, which extend across the philosophical spectrum of hedonism, pragmatism, and determinism.

Sexual Fulfillment and Financial Independence Proponents of hedonism, Tamara L. Roleff and Heidi Fleiss, and ______, a proponent of pragmatism, take circuitous paths yet arrive at the same logical

Roleff believes that the mutual satisfaction experienced during sexual encounters warrant the legalization of prostitution, which also coincides with Zeno de Citum’s view.. Citum encouraged individuals to indulge in gratifying activities without restraint, and he argued that prostitution would trigger sexual nirvana by loosening the moors of inhibitions. Similarly, Roleff insists that the sexual gratification achieved in sexual acts negates the potential detrimental effects of prostitution. Anna Kontula, a professor at the University of Tampere, reinforces Roleff’s belief during her interviews with Finnish prostitutes.Her results reveal that Finnish prostitutes derived sexual satisfaction from the frequent and “fantastic orgasms that blow [their] minds.” Moreover, Roleff herself views prostitution from the client’s perspective. She claims that many men may not always experience sexual satisfaction in their marriage, and they will therefore turn to prostitutes to fill vacuum of their sexual dissatisfaction. This unrestrained sexual indulgence parallels Citum’s conviction that individuals should seek the apex of

Determinists not only maintain that all events arise from causative factors but also contend that individuals lack the ability to make choices and therefore have no moral responsibility over their actions. Likewise, Evbuomwan argues a strong correlation between childhood sexual abuse and prostitution, claiming that the vast majority of prostitutes suffered from sexual abuse as children. As the trauma of rape exacts a toll on women’s mental stability during their formative years, they may turn to prostitution in an effort to regain control over their sexual choices.. A 1995 study by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service revealed that victims of childhood rape found themselves 27.7 times more likely to face criminal charges for prostitution; moreover, the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA) found that 57% of prostitutes had suffered from sexual abuse. These two findings undergird Evbuomwan’s analysis. Evbuomwan also suggests that the individual’s cultural environment exercises an influence over an woman’s “choice” to work as a prostitute. . Chakrapand Wongburanacart, who works at the department of social sciences in Thailand’s Chiang Mai University, confirms Evbuomwan’s conviction by