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Scholars identify four ideological positions on pornography: religious conservatism, civil libertarianism, anti-censorship feminism, and anti-pornography feminism. Each position has various beliefs about pornography and its regulation that stem from social, moral, and political ideologies.

Religious conservatism focuses on the moral aspects of pornography, mainly that it is sinful and leads to further immoral behavior by inciting lust. Religious conservatism concerns itself with the harm to the family, children's moral development, and the sanctity of marital, heterosexual sex. This ideology may include beliefs that pornography leads to rape and sexual abuse. Here the concept of pornography is that it is addictive, leading individuals to need more and more to satisfy their cravings. Proponents of this ideology support censorship and define a wide array of materials as pornographic.

Civil libertarianism, in contrast, strongly opposes censorship of any sort. Libertarians emphasize individual rights and strive for limiting state regulation and involvement in citizens' freedoms. This view does not see pornography as harmful or as a domain appropriate for state involvement. While some libertarians acknowledge that they might personally find pornography offensive or distasteful, the principles of freedom supersede distinctions of individual taste.

Pornography has been a divisive topic within feminism, resulting in heated debates and alliances among various scholars. Anti-pornography feminism focuses on the harm to women resulting from pornography. The roots of this ideology lie in a radical feminist approach to sexuality that views sexuality, specifically heterosexuality, as a venue for male domination. Men have co-opted female sexuality and reproduction and embodied this practice in pornography. Anti-pornography feminism sees pornography as created with a male gaze for male viewers with unrealistic and degrading portrayals of female sexuality and subservience. Pornography is thus another form of patriarchal control of women through sexual exploitation, much like rape and prostitution. Pornography both causes further harm to women and reinforces the gendered status quo. This position has led to a tenuous alliance between anti-pornography feminists and religious conservatives in campaigns against pornography, despite their disparate ideologies.

Anti-censorship feminism, however, does not see pornography as inherently dehumanizing for women. Sexuality, according to anti-censorship feminism, can be a means of sexual repression of women's desires, but sexuality can also be a means of empowerment for women. This ideology, which shares similarities with sex-positive feminism, focuses on consensual exchange in sexual interactions. Thus, while acknowledging gender inequality, this position conceptualizes pornography as a means of sexual liberation for women. Anti-censorship feminists fear that censoring pornography could suppress feminism, homosexuality, and other non-normative aspects of sexuality.

References:

1) Berger, Ronald J., Patricia Searles, and Charles E. Cottle. 1991. Feminism and Pornography. New York: Praeger.

2) Davis, Murray S. 1985. Smut: Erotic Reality/Obscene Ideology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

3) Donnerstein, Edward I., Daniel Linz, and Steven Penrod. 1987. The Question of Pornography: Research Findings and Policy Implications. New York: Free Press.

4) Dworkin, Andrea. 1981. Pornography: Men Possessing Women. London: Women's Press.

5) Soble, Alan. 2002. Pornography, Sex, and Feminism. Amherst, NY: Prometheus.

6) Strossen, Nadine. 2000. Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex, and the Fight for Women's Rights. New York: New York University Press.

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