Liberalism and Prostitution

摘要

The conventional debate within applied ethics in respect of prostitution may be char-nacterized, albeit in over-simplistic terms, as one between liberals and libertarians whonsee no good moral reason for interfering with the voluntary commercial activities ofnadults, and feminists who view prostitution as symptomatic of the oppression ofnwomen by men. Peter de Marneffe’s book is a very welcome addition to the literature.nIt is distinctive in at least three respects. First, it displays a sophisticated understandingnof the regulatory and legal options. Second, it invokes an impressively wide array ofnempirical material to support its case. Third, and most centrally, it offers a paterna-nlistic defence of some form of regulation of prostitution that is nevertheless argued tonbe consistent with liberal principles.