by The Witherspoon Institute

This collection of papers attempts to document, analyze, and explain the social costs of pornography, building the case that citizens need to revisit this issue and look squarely at a problem many would rather ignore.

In this Collection of Papers, the aim is to provide a scholarly consideration of many facets of the issue. The authors differ in their training and often in their approach and perspective (not to mention in their religious backgrounds and political affiliations). They do not all diagnose the problem in the same way, nor would they consent to a single program of reform. But they do agree that there is in the Internet Age a new problem, different in kind from problems of the past or so different in degree as to become different in kind; and they are aware of new evidence, for example, from neuroscience, of the character of the crippling harm of pornography.

The Papers Include

• From Pornography to Porno to Porn: How Porn Became the Norm
• Acquiring Tastes and Loves: What Neuroplasticity Teaches Us about Sexual Attraction and Love
• Pornography and Violence: A New Look at the Research
• The Impact of Pornography on Women: Social Science Findings and Clinical Observations
• Pornography's Effects on Interpersonal Relationships
• The Abuse of Sex
• Pornography: Settling the Question in Principle
• Desire and the Tainted Soul: Islamic Insights into Lust, Chastity, and Love
• Freedom, Virtue, and the Politics of Regulating Pornography
• Industry Size, Measurement, and Social Costs
• The Moral Basis for Legal Regulation of Pornography

To request a review copy of The Social Costs of Pornography: A Collection of Papers, or its companion monograph, The Social Costs of Pornography: A Statement of Findings and Recommendations, or for more information, contact Alicia Brzycki, Director of Publishing at the Witherspoon Institute, at 609.688.8779, ext. 300; abrzycki@winst.org.