In a recent column, Nathan Giede asserted that one of the core characteristics of a conservative is to view the world through the lens of morality. This is an important observation that goes directly to the root of many conflicts in our society. The problem is that so often our moral view runs headlong into our biological drives.
Take sex, drugs, and, sure, rock and roll. Morally-minded people - let's call them moralists - warn us that these things are evil (a value judgment, which is the point of morality). The moralist view is that if I say something is bad, then anyone who does it is bad, and the only appropriate consequence is that they should be punished.
Contrast this with the pragmatist view, which says "let's not get hung up on whether things are good or bad, but figure out how to avoid harm and promote health and personal and societal success." Note that this does not condone anything or say that everything is ok. Pragmatism merely asserts that viewing problems in a moral light is a hindrance to finding solutions, rather than a help.
Take prostitution. Moralists say selling sex is bad, buying sex is bad, so everyone involved needs to be punished, ideally with jail. Despite thousands of years of this approach, prostitution is still with us.
What is the pragmatist view? To ask where the harm lies so that we can try to eliminate the worst consequences of prostitution. Is sex harmful? Not so much. How about buying and selling things? Not so much either. So what is the problem with buying and selling sex? The harm comes from exploitation (people being forced into prostitution against their will) and violence against prostitutes.
Our solutions to these problems, then, need to focus on ensuring that nobody is forced into prostitution against their will, and that those who willingly sell sex can do so in a safe environment with the same police protection against violence that the rest of us enjoy.
Now I am not saying that solving these problems is easy, but simply by changing from a moralist point of view (bad, bad, bad; punish, punish, punish) to a pragmatist stance, we can start to have a meaningful discussion about how to reduce harm and promote health, beginning with listening to sex workers and what they want.
Stephen Rader
Prince George
