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Virtual child pornography and utilitarianism

Per Sandin (Philosophy Unit, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden)

Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society

ISSN: 1477-996X

Article publication date: 30 November 2004

1017

Abstract

The most common argument against child pornography is that children are harmed in the process of producing it. This is the argument from abusive production. However, it does not apply to ‘virtual’ child pornography, i.e. child pornography produced using computer technology without involving real children. Autilitarian who wishes to condemn virtual child pornography cannot appeal to the argument from abusive production. I discuss three possible ways out of this: (1) abandoning the intuition that virtual child pornography is wrong, (2) abandoning utilitarianism, or (3)circumventing the problem. I propose a version of the third way out.

Keywords

Citation

Sandin, P. (2004), "Virtual child pornography and utilitarianism", Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Vol. 2 No. 4, pp. 217-223. https://doi.org/10.1108/14779960480000254

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2004, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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