RATIONALE

The term prostitution is originated from the latin term “prostitutus”, a past participle
of prostituere, which means "to expose to prostitution, "to offer to indiscriminate sexual
intercourse (usually in exchange for money)". This has been called as the oldest profession which
mainly started in Western countries. An interesting fact about prostitution is that at the beginning
in the third millennium, the Sumerians, the first major inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia,
worshiped the goddess Ishtar, a deity that would remain a constant throughout Mesopotamia’s
Babylonian and Assyrian empires. Ishtar was the goddess of love and war symbolized by the planet
Venus, and was born anew as maiden every morning only to become a ‘whore’ every evening –
the etymology of the word lying in the Indo-European root meaning ‘desire’. This etymology
influence people in the U.S. where the term hooker for prostitute comes into existence; this is
mainly from the relations with soldiers commanded by Union General Joseph Hooker in fact after
the Civil War, camps of prostitutes would set up at railroad construction sites. When the railroad
workers would visit the camps at night, they hung their red signal lamps outside the prostitutes’
tents so they could be found if there was a railroad emergency. The term “red-light district” for a
prostitution area originated in the red glow that resulted from this practice.

Adult Pornography

According to Kraus and Rosenberg (2014) "Pornography" is any media that describes or
depicts sexual content and is viewed with the intent of heightening sexual pleasure or arousal.
Adult pornography is when females or males are characterized as subordinate to men or women
and the main role of actresses and models is the provision of sex to them. It depicts hardcore, body-
punishing sex in which they are demeaned and debased (Dines 2010).

Child Pornography

Child pornography is a form of child sexual exploitation. Federal law defines child
pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor (persons less
than 18 years old). Images of child pornography are also referred to as child sexual abuse images.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

How can one say that prostitution is evil or good?

 1. Given that an aspect of goodness comes from circumstances that are beneficial to a person,
how can one justify that prostitution is evil and bad when both ends benefit from the process,
the other satisfies his/her carnal desires while the other end receives compensation?

2. If prostitution is evil and bad, why are there countries who legalize it knowing that laws are
created for the “common good of the people”?

3. Are there specific effects on a child’s moral development when he/she is already exposed
to prostitution at a young age?

4. Would it be considered good if prostitution is a choice of the person? Is it evil just because
someone is being forced by certain circumstances (poverty/inducement) to be part of it?

5. Is prostitution immoral, ideal or acceptable?

METHODOLOGY

The current project used semi-structured interviews and data gathering from various online
and book resources in the library. Specifically, the researchers would choose their respondents
based on their criteria for the sample. In this case, the proponents had interviewed individuals from
different age brackets starting from 17 to 30 years old as well as two college professors from
different departments namely religious education and philosophy. This is to be done in order to
compare the trend of thoughts occurring from the varying ages of the respondents regarding the
topic as well as their views stemming from their field of expertise.

PRO’s CON’s

1. Safe Sex Release 1. Increase in human trafficking cases

2. Victimless Crime 2. “Victimless” is only a myth
3. Social Acceptance and Governmental 3. Legal is not equal to moral
Control

ETHICAL FRAMEWORK

I. Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative

For Kant, the foundation of ethics was his famous Categorical Imperative: it is always wrong to
treat another person as merely a means to an end, rather than as an end-in-itself (which is to say,
one must show proper respect for other persons). Kant sets up his initial argument against casual
sex by applying his deontological ethical theory to sexual desire. His ethical theory claims that a
person should not treat another person only as a means without a respective end—end meaning
personal autonomy as a rational agent in which goals, desires, and aspirations may be pursued. For
him, prostitution was the ultimate example of treating a human being as merely a means to an end
and was despicable because it thereby placed a human being on the same footing as an animal.

II. Lawrence Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

The psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987) didn't think moral behavior should be thought
of as a grab bag of virtues, e.g. that being a moral person meant you were honest, upright, and
direct, or it could also mean you were hard-working, generous, and fair. Instead, Kohlberg focused
on different stages or levels of moral judgment and pinned each level to a particular way of morally
evaluating behavior. Based on a series of interviews, Kohlberg developed six distinct levels of
moral judgment or reasoning.

A. Pre-conditional Level
1. Consequences of an act could determine if it is right or wrong
2. Exchange Principle
B. Conditional Level
1. Peer Acceptance
2. Conformity to Society’s Rules
C. Post-Conventional
1. Arguing in favor of Customs or Law
2. Follows moral codes based on the Universal Principle

This theory will help us explain the negative effects of prostitution to a child’s mental and moral
growth as well as on an adult’s way of thinking.

III. Platonian Tripartite Being

Plato’s take in understanding humanity is through his theory of a tripartite man, where a person
has three parts namely the appetite, the spirited and the mind. This could be be best illustrated in
his chariot allegory wherein the horse is our desires, one’s will as its wheels and the charioteer as
the intellect. He emphasized that these parts should not be on equal footing for the intellect shall
overpower or control both (when to give each horse its rein and when to hold it back) because if
one of the other rules a person, the body would probably be astray. Thus, in prostitution, one is
just satisfying the appetite part of himself which is now similar to animals.
INDIVIDUAL INSIGHTS

Cellan, Veronica

Based on what I've watched on TV and some documentaries, I have discovered some
reasons why there are some people who worked as prostitutes and why other people is obsessed
with pornography. In prostitution, I have found that the reason why there are prostitutes aside from
poverty is because of their foundation of their values system which is weak just like what happened
to the story of Maria Pau that you've watched earlier and also from the influences coming from the
television and books. While in pornography, the reason why there are people who are obsessed
with pornography is because of their sexual desire wherein it overrules their intellect and will
which is in relation to the Platonian Tripartite Being. Moreover, as a person who value the dignity
of a human being, I believe that prostitution and pornography are immoral acts since it
encompasses the use of a person as a mere instrument or tool for one's pleasure or desire in
exchange of monetary gain and also because I agree with Kant's Categorical Imperative which
implies, “Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the
person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end.” Lastly, in
my opinion, in order to lessen prostitution and pornography, especially here in the Philippines, is
that instead of producing movies and books that contain pornographic content, the producers and
publishers should educate their viewers or readers about how horrible prostitution is.

Libradilla, Euleve Brian

In my own opinion, Prostitution is an immoral act because if we stand of the thinking of religous
people, having sex without marital status is a grave misconduct to God. But given the
circumstances happening in this modern era, it became ideal especially on problems of poverty
and starvation. It started when our sexual desires overpower our intellect which defies the tripartite
sense of man of Plato, that our intellect must overrule our desires in order to create better decisions
and better outcomes. In addition to this, Plato”s thinking about humans that encompasses rational
thought is evident enough to discern that doing these preposterous acts turns us into animals,
howling for pleasure. In all fairness, these people have their own reasons, their own stories to tell,
and we must listen with an open mind in order to aid these people. They are humans, too, needs to
be respected and loved.

Manolong, Victoria Isabel

Personally, I stand against prostitution and pornography and view them as immoral acts,
not because of what my religion and society has told me but because of the indifference, and harm
brought to the prostitutes. I perceive prostitution and pornography similar to pigs being sold in the
market. For example, one customer will buy the belly part, the other buys the leg parts, and so on.
Those parts being sold are like the pieces of dignity of the sex workers or the innocence of children
slowly pulled out of themselves and consumed. Prostitution takes something deeply personal from
the adult sex provider, while it is the innocence of the young taken in child pornography in
exchange for money. However, the money they earned cannot be used to reacquire what was taken
from them and that missing piece will slowly devalue themselves and lead to society treating them
like animals. A person's dignity is not a commodity. Society is driven so much by their desires,
they feel too entitled to almost everything, including using another body to satisfy one’s needs.
According to Immanuel Kant, it is wrong for we should treat human beings as an end, never as a
means. We should deliver the effects of our intention to the person, and not make the person a
vehicle of our intention. Lastly, it is important to maintain our rational sense above our covets, for
we should not be slaves of our own carnal desires.

Morata, Leila

Based on my beliefs and the values I uphold, I consider prostitution as immoral. This
promotes the idea that it is alright to objectify other people’s bodies just for another person’s sexual
gratification. And by this, I agree with Kant that humans should not be used as a means to an end
which is contradicting with what prostitution is trying to imply. The Aristotelian view states that
humans are rational beings and are more than capable of discerning right from wrong in different
situations. Human desires should not overpower our intellect, and by this, we should, above all,
think critically, in accordance with Plato’s theory of a tripartite man. Referring to the life of Maria
Pau, I understood how prostitution negatively affects a child’s mental and moral growth, as well
as the adult’s way of thinking. It may provide the parties engaged benefits and satisfaction but this
does not last long. Prostitution is damaging and dangerous, it affects people’s well-being, their
health, minds, and their lifestyle. But it is not right to judge people engaging in these kinds of
activities, they are also victims of the system that oppresses their rights of equal opportunities. In
addition, a big part of what we are now is how we are brought up at home. Our values system is
first shaped by our parents and they must strive to become good role models. By then, when we
venture out into the world, we discover that it is not only our family whose impact is strong on us,
influences from the environment we are in plays a huge part in our self-development. Influences
may come in different forms but regardless, we must be able to stand our ground and not be easily
swayed by it. We must be able to know ourselves better than others, build lasting relationships,
and have a strong support system with people who we share the same values and beliefs with.

Petalcorin, Junafhe

Prostitution is an issue that already existed a long time ago, usually at that time it is because
of their beliefs. Prostitution nowadays have different reasons why they still exist up until today.
Usually a person can do something which is immorally different from what has been thought to us
due to some lacking desire that they wanted. Maria Pau became a prostitute because she wanted
some attention from her mother, she does everything just to catch her mother’s attention, she tries
to excel academically but still her mother ignored her, then she tries to steal so that she can be “In”
in her circle of friends but because of that her mother abandoned her. Due to that circumstances
society keep calling her slut just like her mother.These lines to Platonian Tripartite Being in which
a person must not exceed the intellect in her desires. However, Maria became a very different
person now, and finished his masteral degree and now she became one of the inspirational
speakers who shares his story. Generally in order to avoid or solve prostitution we should not allow
prostitution to be legalize in our country and let our community to learn moral acts and moral
values that they could teach to their children, future chidren or to share in the community. These
lines to Platonian Tripartite Being in which a person must not exceed the intellect in her desires.

Pia, Ma. Recy

Prostitution stems from different factors commonly known are poverty, rape, addiction to
drugs and alcohol, excessive watching of pornography and poor value system. For me prostitution
is indeed unacceptable and immoral, I do agree on Kant’s Categorical Imperative that people
cannot be used as a means to an end. Our body cannot be objectified as a commodity and be treated
on the same level as animals. Just like Maria Pau in an MMK episode entitled Lipstick she become
a prostitute because her value system was weak , she has no money and she need to survive. She
was also often compared to her mom who left her father for some rich men. Maria Pau was
criticized and judge by everyone but we must never convict her with harsh criticism because we
don’t know her story. Everyone of us has a story to tell and being open minded and sensitive on
such facts is a must for us people. They may have weak value system as they grow up because of
certain factors but we do not have the right to judge them for any reason. Thus, I stand by the belief
that prostitution is immoral but I do think that judging one’s life is being immoral as well

Pizon, Tresha Mae

Based on my own understanding, the root cause for both, pornography and prostitution,
depends on the perspective of the persons involved. The prostitute or the bold star may uphold
poor values system; thus, they are easier to be manipulated, used and exploited. As per the
customer or the watcher of pornographic films, they may have poor values system as well causing
them to let their desires overrule their rationality. My stand to this argument is “Prostitution is
immoral and it should never be acceptable in any aspect.” I do agree with Kant’s view that a man
shall not objectify another as an instrument of his lust and desires. This is now inlined with the
Aristotelian perspective that a human’s edge from animals is his sense of rationality and one loses
it once he let his desires overpower his intellect. The same goes for the tripartite sense of a man as
according to Plato which states that the charioteer, our intellect, should be in charge within us
through rational thinking. Above all, the mere experience of prostitution could not just affect the
wellness or health of a person in cases like HIV, Genital Herpes, etc but it could highly contaminate
the minds of the young which has vulnerable foundation about morality as specified in the study
of Kohlberg. Thus, I say prostitution is a moral dilemma and should not be acceptable.

GROUP CONCLUSION

The group has found that the similarities between prostitution and pornography is their inclination
to sexual immorality through one’s body. There are two parties involved in this situation namely
the prostitute and the customer. We should take into account the background or the upbringing of
the person who opted to sell herself because this may be affected by poor values system.
Furthermore, everything else boils down in an understanding that one cause of which is having
extreme human desires. There are no prostitutes if there is no demand for one. We are not against
having carnal desires and sexual intercourse but the excess of it which had led to an immoral and
lewd perception of man, especially towards women, is a form of disrespect. Conversely, Aristotle
emphasized the beauty of being a man of virtue. A virtuous person is someone who performs the
distinctive activity of being human well. Rationality is our distinctive activity, that is, the activity
that distinguishes us from plants and animals. Humans are distinct above all for having also a
rational soul, which governs thought. Since our rationality is our distinctive activity, its exercise
is the supreme good. Thus, prostitution stoops us to a lower end of the hierarchy where beasts are
placed since a person is letting his or her desires to overpower. This could be supported by the
Chariot Allegory of Plato which strongly asserts that the intellect shall govern the body. In
addition, after weighing the pros and cons regarding these topics, the group has viewed that their
disadvantages weigh more especially in the clinical, psychological and theological aspects of man.
To combat this problem, we take into account the teachings of Mahavira and Buddha about
Brahmacharya or the abstinence from extreme desires towards other people. Buddha highly
emphasized that suffering is present because we desire to be more; we desire to have more which
is an unending battle of discontentment. Thus, we stand against prostitution and pornography. We
consider both as immoral acts which should not be accepted.

References:

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Bullough, V. L., & Bullough, B. (1977). Sin, sickness, and sanity: A history of sexual attitudes.
New York, NY: New American Library

Women and prostitution: A social history. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus

The lady of the house. New York, NY: G. P. Putnam

Kraus, S., & Rosenburg, H. (2014).The pornography craving questionnaire: Psychometric

properties. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 43(3), 451-462. doi: 10.1007/s10508-013-0229-3

Dines, G. (2010). Pornland: How porn has hijacked our sexuality. Boston, MA: Beacon Press

DeKeseredy, W. S. (2015b). Patriarchy.com: Adult Internet pornography and the abuse of women.
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Immanuel Kant, ‘The Philosophy of Law’, translated by W. Hastie, in Morality and Moral
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Prostitution Reform Act 2003. (n.d.). Retrieved from

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https://philosophynow.org/issues/21/The_discarded_Lemon_Kant_prostitution_and_respect_for_
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