Co-Authored by Steve Horwitz

A first year student at Duke who is funding her undergraduate education with a career in pornography has identified herself as a libertarian, giving rise to a lot of discussion on Facebook and other blogs about “the libertarian position on pornography.”

Because libertarianism is neither a theology nor a system of personal ethics, it often does not have a single position on topics like pornography, the best way to raise your children, or drug use. And this is a strength. Libertarianism does not require rigid adherence to a single personal practice. What follows, then, is intended as a helpful—though surely incomplete—scale of possible libertarian points of view on pornography.

It is not an answer. It is a conversation starter.

It should probably go without saying, but nothing ever does on the internet, that what makes all of these points of view libertarian is that one could hold any of these views, and still believe that the state should not prohibit pornography.

1.  Pornography is destructive of the virtues necessary to maintain a civil society. It is harmful to character and to our families. It destroys our ability to view others as individuals. Those who use it lack virtue and can (or should) be publicly criticized and shunned.
2.  Pornography violates the idea that people are ends in themselves, not means to our own ends. When people view pornography, they are treating the individuals depicted there as means to their sexual gratification, not as human beings with ends of their own.
3.  Some pornography is neutral, other pornography, such as that depicting non-consensual or violent sex, is destructive of the virtues necessary to maintain a civil society. It is harmful to character and to our families.  It destroys our ability to view others as individuals. Those who use it lack virtue and can (or should) be publicly criticized and shunned.
4.  Pornography is neutral, but there are some serious concerns with the business end of it. Young performers may not understand what they are getting into, and may not be able to give fully coherent consent.
5.  Pornography is an entirely neutral and private concern. It is a peaceful exchange between consumer and performer.
6.  Pornography is generally good for civil society, but other pornography, such as that depicting non-consensual or violent sex, raises concerns about the consent of the performers and the models it suggests for the way people might interact.
7.  Pornography is generally good for civil society, as long as we are certain of the consent of all participants.
8.  Pornography is good for civil society. It provides pleasure and harms no one.
9.  Pornography empowers the individuals who perform in it and the individuals who view it to express themselves sexually. This kind of autonomy is good for civil society, and those who enable it should be praised.