New and old voices from the ship of fools: the South African pornography debate

SUMMARY The debate on censorship in South Africa invariably tends to focus on the supposed negative effects of pornography as the cause of and moral justification for the existence of the most restrictive publications control in the Western world. However, the emphasis on pornography is paradoxical as it is not freely available. This article examines the role of pornography in the application of censorship and questions the claims that pornography is the cause of harm. The willingness of intellectuals to contribute to the general condemnation of pornography is also discussed. It is argued that the conservative bias of the debate which precludes any consideration of positive aspects of pornography is itself a form of censorship and poses a threat to the intelligent examination and research on pornography.