A Consultation of the Social Costs of Pornography Project
Princeton University | December 11 - 13, 2008
Hosted by
Robert P. George
McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University
Organized by:
The Research Program on Family, Marriage, and Democracy
of the
Witherspoon Institute
Cosponsored by
The Institute for the Psychological Sciences
The Social Trends Institute
Consultation Overview
The consultation on "The Social Costs of Pornography was organized by the Witherspoon Institute in conjunction with the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in Washington, DC and held at Princeton University, December 11 - 13, 2008. The consultation was hosted by Robert P. George, Senior Fellow of the Witherspoon Institute and McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University. This meeting assembled leading experts in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, neurophysiology, philosophy, sociology, law, and political theory to present a rigorously argued overview of the problem of pornography in our society and to make recommendations. The primary purpose of the meeting was to examine the real nature of pornography in its moral and social consequences.
It is essential to note the scholars who participated in this consultation represent a wide range of political perspectives, but share a common interest in addressing pornography's devastating social cost. At the two-day-long consultation, ten scholars delivered papers on subject-specific aspects of pornography's impact, and approximately twelve scholars served as discussants throughout the meeting. This format ensured that the papers will be energetically critiqued in order to promote a fair and in-depth assessment of the issues in question.
Presenting Scholars:
Roger Scruton, Institute for Psychological Sciences
Hadley Arkes, Amherst College
Norman Doidge, M.D., Columbia University
Jill C. Manning, licensed marriage and family therapist and author
Ana Bridges, University of Arkansas
Pamela Paul, author and journalist
Gerard V. Bradley, University of Notre Dame Law School
James Stoner, Louisiana State University
Kirk Doran, Notre Dame University
Hamza Yusuf, Zaytuna Institute
Discussants:
Patrick Fagan, Family Research Council
Robert P. George, Princeton University
Mary Graw Leary, Columbus School of Law (CUA)
Sara S. McLanahan, Princeton University
Michael New, University of Alabama
Joseph Price, Brigham Young University
Gladys Sweeney, Institute for the Psychological Sciences
W. Bradford Wilcox, University of Virginia
Paul Vitz, Institute for the Psychological Sciences , NYU Emeritus
David Tubbs, Kings College
Mary Eberstadt, Hoover Institute.
Donna M. Hughes, University of Rhode Island
Candace Vogler, University of Chicago
For more information, please contact Patrick Hough.
Pre-Consultation
Paper Drafts
Paper Drafts
Hadley Arkes:
Pornography:
Settling the Question in Principle
Roger Scruton:
On the Abuse of Sex
Pamela Paul:
From Pornography
to Porno to Porn
Norman Doidge, MD:
Acquiring Pornographic
Tastes
Jill Manning:
The Impact of Pornography
on Women
Ana Bridges:
Pornography's Effects on
Interpersonal Relationships
Kirk Doran:
The Economics
of Pornography
Gerard V. Bradley:
Moral Principles Which
Govern the Legal Regulation
of Pornography
James Stoner:
Freedom, Virtue, and
the Politics of Regulating
Pornography
Hamza Yusuf:
Climbing Mt. Purgatorio:
Reflections from the Seventh
Cornice
Pornography:
Settling the Question in Principle
Roger Scruton:
On the Abuse of Sex
Pamela Paul:
From Pornography
to Porno to Porn
Norman Doidge, MD:
Acquiring Pornographic
Tastes
Jill Manning:
The Impact of Pornography
on Women
Ana Bridges:
Pornography's Effects on
Interpersonal Relationships
Kirk Doran:
The Economics
of Pornography
Gerard V. Bradley:
Moral Principles Which
Govern the Legal Regulation
of Pornography
James Stoner:
Freedom, Virtue, and
the Politics of Regulating
Pornography
Hamza Yusuf:
Climbing Mt. Purgatorio:
Reflections from the Seventh
Cornice
