Public Affairs Quarterly

Volume13,Number1,January
1999

PEDOPHILIA
IgorPrimoratz

I
debates on quite a few questions in sexual morality
sometimesarousestrongfeelings,theissue discussedinthispaper
almost invariablydoes so, and the feelingsaroused are usually very
whythatshouldbe so. It is less clear
strongindeed.It is understandable
who
have writtenon sexualityand
philosophers
why contemporary
sexual moralityhave tendedto neglectthesubject.This paperis meant
thisneglect.
as a steptowardsremedying
The discussionmustbe prefacedby a few wordsof clarification.
Most instancesof pedophiliathathave recentlyreceivedmuchmedia
in theUnitedStates,some Europeancountries,and Australia,
attention
have been cases of pedophiliawithinthe familyor in a child care or
educationalinstitution.
Many have involvedphysicalor psychological
abuse oftheminor.In thispaper,however,I focuson pedophiliaas such.
and judge cases of
For if we are to be in a good positionto understand
child
abuse
violation
of
or
a relationshipof
pedophiliacompoundedby
or
we
must
firstcome to
care, trust, authority,
parentalresponsibility,
of pedophilianotaggravatedby additionalwrongdoan understanding
ing: pedophiliain itself.
We need to distinguish
Anotherclarificationconcernsterminology.
between"pederasty,""ephebophilia,"and "pedophilia,"as well as betweenthewide and narrowsenses of thelast term.
of an adultmale to boys and
"Pederasty"refersto sexual attraction
sex betweenan adultmale and a boy in his mid-teens.It has been the
formof male homosexualityin manysocieties; its best
characteristic
knowntype,of course,is the"love of boys" amongtheancientGreeks.
Whatis distinctiveaboutpederastyis best describedin contrastto the

99

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PUBLIC AFFAIRS QUARTERLY

dominanttypeof male homosexualityin modernWesternsocieties,in

whichbothsides are adults.As WarrenJohanssonpointsout,
theaestheticemphasisin pederasty,
thenandnow,was on theephemeral, androgynousqualityof the youththatis lost the momenthe
- thenegativeevent
of manhood
crossesthedevelopmental
threshold
to whichthe Greekpoets devote no littleattention.The transient
"bloom" (anthos) of the adolescentis a unionof male and female
beauties. . . . The pederast... is normallyrepelledby adultmales
It is solely
and has no wishto be theobjectof theirsexual attention.
thecharmof theyouthin his mid-teensthatattractsand captivates
him.1

But unlike
Ephebophilia,too, is a varietyof male homosexuality.
are
to
attracted
sexuallymature
post-pubertal,
pederasts,ephebophiles
An
attractive
the
finds
verythingthatputs
youths. ephebophile
sexually
offa pederast:thefullydeveloped,vigorousmalenessof adolescence.2
Both pederastyand ephebophiliaare varietiesof pedophiliain the
wide sense of theterm,i.e., typesof sexual attraction
to, and sex with,
minors(of the same or different
sex). To be sure,ephebophiliawould
notcountas pedophilia,if therewere a singleage of consent- the age
at whichconsentto sex withanotheris recognizedin law- forbothmales
and femalesand forheterosexualand homosexualsex alike, and if it
wereto be set at theend of puberty.But thatis hardlyeverthecase: in
Westernsocietiestodayit tendsto be fifteenor sixteenforheterosexual
sex, but significantlyhigher(up to twenty-one)for homosexualsex
amongmales.
of
In thenarrowsense,"pedophilia"refersonlyto sexual attraction
adultsto pre-pubescent
andpubescentchildrenand sex withthem.When
thetermis used in thissense,ephebophiliais notincludedas one of its
fromit,theendpubertyprovidingthe
varieties,butratherdistinguished
line of demarcation.
II
In our typeof society,pedophiliais consideredbotha gravemoral
In purelymoralconoffenseand a crimedeservingseriouspunishment.
texts,it tendsto be condemnedas a sexual perversion.I will notdiscuss
thisparticularpointhere,as I have arguedelsewherethattheconceptof
sexual perversionis quiteunhelpfuland shouldbe discardedaltogether.3
There are two further
argumentsagainstpedophiliathatconstitutethe
standardrationalebehindboth its moralcondemnationand legal proscription:first,sex withminorsis wrongbecause it is non-consensual;
and even
second, it is harmfulto them.But howeverstraightforward

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PEDOPHILIA

101

obvious this rationalemightseem, it bears lookinginto. Indeed, both

have been questioned.
arguments
Beforediscussingthem,however,a fewwordsmaybe in orderon
the way pedophiliatendsto be conceived by the generalpublic. The
pedophileis oftenenvisagedas "a dirtyold man,"a strangerto his victims, who forces himself on children and has full-fledgedsexual
a frightening
and painwiththem,thusputtingthemthrough
intercourse
ful experienceand inflictingserious long-termpsychologicaldamage
on them.This popularnotionexplainswhypedophilesare colloquially
called childmolesters,and whypedophiliaseemsto be "themosthated
of all thesexual variations."4
But, forthemostpart,it is notborneout
by theknownfacts.Whatis trueis thatmostpedophilesare men. But
the majorityare youngor middle-aged.More oftenthannot,theyare
notstrangers;theyare morelikelyto be family,lodgers,neighbors,or
oftheminor.Nor is
otheradultsfromtheimmediatesocial environment
sexual
ittruethatpedophilestypicallyuse force,orengagein full-fledged
a
number
of
of
the
intercourse.Summarizing findings
studies,Peter
Rightonwritesthat"the most characteristicpaedophileactivitiesare
andthat"whenfullintercourse
cuddling,caressingandgenitalfondling,"
takesplace, it occursmostcommonlywhenthechild is well intoadolescence."5Finally,the harmfuleffectsof pedophilia on the minor's
sexual, emotional,and generalpersonalitydevelopmentare stilla matterof researchand debate,ratherthanof well-establishedfact.6
To pointout the inaccuraciesand simplificationsinvolvedin the
popularnotionof pedophiliadoes nothingto showthatitsconventional
is notjustified.It merelyhelpsclearthegroundfora more
condemnation
it suggeststhatit
rationaldiscussionof the subject.Most importantly,
to discuss pedophiliain its widersense of sex
maynotbe veryfruitful
withminors.Boththeissue of harmand thatof consentmaywell prove
betweensex withpre-pumoretractableif we startby distinguishing
bescentand pubescentchildren(pedophiliain thenarrowsense) and sex
withadolescentswho have notyetreachedtheage of consent.
Not muchneeds to be said aboutthelatter.In Westernsocietiestoday,theage ofconsentforheterosexualsex is generallyset at fifteenor
Adolescentsare
sixteen,i.e., at theend ofpubertyor slightlythereafter.
- be it with
bothlegally and morallyallowed to have sex withothers
is
that
adolescents
The
adults.
with
or
adolescents
are,
other
assumption
by and large, physicallyand psychologicallymatureenoughto be allowed to maketheirown decisionsconcerningsex. This assumptionis
surelyquite sensible.
However,quite a fewjurisdictionsdo not grantthe same rightto
adolescentmaleswithregardto homosexualsex,orhomosexualsex with

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PUBLIC AFFAIRS QUARTERLY

adults.7Ephebophiliais thusstill out of bounds legally,and fromthe

pointof view of conventionalmoralityas well. The rationalebehindthe
on either
legal prohibition
appearsto be therejectionof homosexuality
moralor prudentialgrounds,togetherwiththepsychologicalclaim that
sex betweena male adolescentand a manmakesit morelikelythatthe
adolescentwill come to adopt homosexualityas his permanentsexual
orientation.
Whetherthisclaim is trueis verymucha mootpoint.But
even if it were,theargumentwouldnotbe convincing.A good case for
the claim that homosexualityis immoral,ratherthan merelybeing
thoughtso, has stillto be made. Indeed,I do notsee how it evercan be
(except,of course,on thebasis of certainexpresslyparochialreligious
cum moralviews).8If homosexualityis rejectedon prudential,rather
thanmoralgrounds,the argumentdisplaysthe typeof circularityone
comes across muchtoo oftenin debatesabout moraland legal aspects
of sexual behavior.A prohibitionof behaviorthatdeviates fromconventionalsexual preferenceis justified by the harmfulnessof such
behavior- althoughthe harmis, forthe mostpart,caused by the very
at issue.9
prohibition
Thereseems to be no compellingreasonforthe age of consentfor
males, or male homosexuals,to be higherthanthatset foreverybody
else. The laws thatmakeit severalyearshigherare butanotherexample
ofinvidiousdiscrimination
againsthomosexuals,and shouldbe changed.
If and whentheyare, we will no longerhave occasion to use theterm
"pedophilia"in its wide sense of "sex withminors."
Ill
of
in thenarrow
senseofsexualattraction
Thisleavesus withpedophilia
andsexwiththem.Intherestof
andpubescent
children
adultstopre-pubescent
inthissense,orpedophilia
thispaperI discussonlypedophilia
proper.
issue. The bestwayto
It clearlypresentsa muchmorecontroversial
ofitsdefenders.I will leave
approachitis bylookingintothearguments
aside discussionslimitedto the "Greeklove" of boys,10and focus on
two recentapologies of pedophiliain general,i.e., of its male and female, heterosexualand homosexualvarieties:Tom O'Carroll's book
Ehman'spaper"Adult-Child
Sex."11
Paedophilia:TheRadicalCase,andRobert
childrenare
BothO'Carroll and Ehmanpointoutthatpre-pubescent
notasexual creatures.The idea thattheyare andtheirconsequentexclusion fromall discourseabout,and experienceof, sex are notmandated
by theirnatureand thus universal,but rathera comparativelyrecent
thesisfirstadvanced
Bothauthorsdrawon thewell-known
development.
children
as sexuallyinnocent
Aries
that
the
of
by Philippe
understanding

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PEDOPHILIA

103

was broughtaboutbythefar-reaching
changein theWesternconception
of childhoodthattook place in the seventeenthand eighteenthcenturies. Accordingto theAries thesis,in earlierperiods,childrenwere in
manyrespectspartof the same social worldas adults: theywore the
same type of clothes, played the same games, workedtogetherwith
of adult sexuality,
adults- and werenot shelteredfrommanifestations
nor denied sexual interestsand activitiesof theirown. By the end of
eighteenthcentury,however,the "discoveryof childhood"was completed.Childrencame to be thoughtof as havinga distinctivenatureof
unlikethose of adults
theirown, a set of characteristics
significantly
thatenjoinedtheirsystematicexclusionfrommanyareas of adultexperienceand activity.In particular,theycame to be consideredinnocent
of sexual knowledge,interest,or desire,and in need of protectionfrom
of adultsexuality.12
all manifestations
As O'Carroll and Ehmansee it, our own unwillingnessto acknowledge the factsof child sexualityshows thatwe still subscribeto this
view ofchildhood,whichsees all sexual contactbetweenan adultand a
child as molestationand defilementof the innocentand defenseless
child.13It also suggestsa suspicionof sex in general.In the wordsof
RobertEhman,"thereis, of course,a remnantof sexual puritanismin
thisreactiontowardadult-childsex, since unless thereweresomething
andimpureaboutsex,howcoulditcorrupt
thechild?
morallyproblematic
The attitudetowardadult-childsex is the last unquestionedbastionof
sexual puritanism."14
But the factsof child sexualitycannotbe denied. They have been
pointedoutby Freudand some of his followers,and describedin some
detail in a numberof empiricalstudiesof humansexuality,including
thosebyAlfredC. Kinseyand associates.These studiesshow thatfrom
a veryearlyage, childrenof bothsexes tendto engage in sex play and
are capable of varioustypesof sexual experience,includingorgasm.15
Not onlydo childrenenjoy such experiences;theyalso need themfor
theirnormalsexual development.16
Defendersof pedophiliaarguethattheharmswidelybelieved to be
typicallyinflictedon childrenby sexual contactwithadults are by no
meansan establishedfact.Researchthathas been done on the subject
and its findingsdo notsupportthepopularview
has seriouslimitations,
in a clearand compellingway.For one thing,muchresearchis based on
of theenclinical or legal data. But such data cannotbe representative
tire relevantchild population;theyrelate only to childrenwho were
orharmedbytheirencounters
withpedophiles,while
troubled,
distressed,
were
out
those
who
not.
researches
do notalways
Furthermore,
leaving
differentiate
clearlyenough,if at all, betweeninstanceswheretheadult

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PUBLIC AFFAIRS QUARTERLY

employedforceor exertedpressureand those wherethatwas not the

case. Nordo theyseparateconsistently
enough,ifat all, theharmcaused
by the sexual encounteror relationshipitself,fromthatcaused by the
and
responseof parentsand othersto suchan encounteror relationship,
theharmattendanton the legal proceedingsagainstthe adultin which
thechild is made to play a part.
Both O'Carroll and Ehman are extremelysuspicious of the overwhelmingmajorityofresearch;indeed,each findsonlyone studyofthe
effectsof pedophiliaon childrenreliableenough.O'Carroll singlesout
- a studyof children,mostly
LindyBurton'sbook VulnerableChildren
girls,mostof whomhad sexual encounterswithadultsbeforetheage of
ten.17Burton'sgeneralconclusionis thatthe experience"does not apeffecton thechild's personality
pear to have an excessivelyunsettling
Ehman's preferred
piece of researchis thatof Marvis
development."18
Tsai and associates, who studiedthe effectsof childhoodsexual conOn the
in adultwomen.19
tactswithadultson psychosexualfunctioning
basis of thatstudyEhmandrawsthefollowingconclusionsconcerning
theissue of harm:
The twomaincauses, accordingto Tsai et al., of adultpsychosexual
problemson thepartof sexuallymolestedchildrenare thenegative
feelingsof thechildrentowardtheiradultpartnerand theirfeeling
of responsibility
for,and guiltfrom,theviolationof a social norm.
Thereis nothingin thestudyto indicatethattherewouldbe a negative impactapartfroman aversionto theadultand a violationof a
norm.For thisreason,thestudydoes notprovidetheleast evidence
sexual contactbetweena child and
in favorof a normprohibiting
thefactthatthe
adultwhenthechildis notaverse.On thecontrary,
negativeimpactof the perceivedviolationof the normis a large
contributor
to theharmfuleffectsof adult-childsex is an argument
the
norm.20
against

Notonlyauthorswhosetoutto defendpedophilia,suchas O'Carrollor

Ehman,butalso someofthosewhodefinetheirtasksolelyin termsofsciPlummer
ofthissort.ThusKenneth
entific
havereachedconclusions
research,
insexualcontactwith
writesthatincases ofthechild'swillingparticipation
andfrequently
trauma
anadult"studiespointtotheexperience
beingwithout
.
.
.
and
this
is
an
important
proviso,itis 'dismutually
pleasurable unless,
Whenthishappens,itappearsthat
covered'bythefamilyorthecommunity.
thechildcan becomeshockedby theengulfing
angerand outrageof the
a criticalreviewofover
adult."21
GrahamE. PowellandA. J.Chalkleyoffer
contactswithadults.
the
on
children
of
their
sexual
studies
of
impact
forty
limitations
of
theresearchdoneso
the
Havingemphasized methodological
difficult
and
ofdata
far,whichmakeinterpretation
anyconclusionreached

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PEDOPHILIA

105

"somewhatmuted,"theysaythattheevidencedoes notbearoutthepopular belief thatpedophile attentionhas long-termand whollyharmful

effectson thechild. Specifically,theypointout thatchildrenwho were
disturbedaftersexual contactwithadultstendedto be thosewho were
and thatincidentsof such contactdo notseem to
disturbedbeforehand,
have long-term
negativeeffectson thedevelopmentof children.22
fortheimmorality
of pedophiliais that
The otherstandardargument
fromconsent:childrenare incapableof valid consentto sex withadults,
But Ehmanclaims thatthe
and such sex is thereforeimpermissible.23
adds
to
that
fromharm.Why,he asks,
from
consent
nothing
argument
shoulda child's incapacityto give valid consentto sex withan adultbe
of such sex, whenwe do notinsiston
groundsenoughfora prohibition
such consentwithregardto manyothersortsof acts? The only reply
to children.We arethustaken
seemsto be thatsex withadultsis harmful
fromharm,whichhas been shownto
back a fullcircle to theargument
be unconvincing.24
O'Carrolladoptsa similarline.Childrenare said tobe lackingknowlof thevariousaspectsand ramifications
of sex;
edge and understanding
therefore
theyare consideredincapable of givingvalid consentto sex
withadults.But then,do all adultsreallyhave thatsortof knowledge
and understanding?
Even adults,in embarkingon a sexual encounteror relationship,
cannotbe sure "whereit will all end"; nor do mostpeople enter
adulthoodwitha fixedidea as totheactivities,andpeople,thatmight
and discoveryis a lifelong
turnthemon- thescope forexperiment
one. . . . The usual mistakeis to believe thatsexual activity,especially forchildren,is so alarmingand dangerousthatparticipants
needto havean absolute,totalawarenessofeveryconceivableramificationof takingpartbeforetheycan be said to give valid consent.
needs to be, is thechild's willingnessto
Whattheremostdefinitely
takepartin theactivityin question.. . . But thereis no need whateverforthechildto know"theconsequences"ofenagingin harmless
sex play,simplybecause it is exactlythat:harmless.25

Since "the vast majorityof sexual acts betweenchildrenand adults

in
are notaggressivelyimposed,anymorethanthosebetweenadults,"26
manycases thechildis indeedwilling.Whenitis, adult-childsex should
be neitherpreventednorcondemned.The currentmoralrejectionand
legal prohibitionof all sexual contactbetweenchildrenand adults is
and oppressivepaternalundiscerning
partand parcelof an unjustified,
should
haverightstoo,includingtheright
ismtowardschildren.Children
to maketheirown sexual choices. The age of consentlaws shouldbe
abolished,and the issues relatingto sex betweenadults and children

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106

PUBLIC AFFAIRS QUARTERLY

should forthe most partbe dealt withby means of civil, ratherthan

criminallaw.27
IV
In assessingthesearguments
in defenseof pedophilia,a good starting point are the remarksof MarilynFrye in response to Ehman's
discussionof thequestionof harm:
I wouldhavemorequestions:
Howwasitfor[thechild]?Not:Did
this,or is it likelyto,resultin lifelong
dysfunction?
psychosexual
but:Wasit nice?Did shehavefun?Wasit notsouredbyambivalence,confusion,
anxietyabout
pain,feelingsof powerlessness,
and materially
on whomshe is emotionally
displeasinga partner
... ? Andifitis notgood,can she,willshe,wouldshe
dependent
can be horrible
dare,makethisclearto him?... An experience
Are
or
without
bedwetting causing"maladjustment."
precipitating
ifitis merely
wretched
butdoesnotdemonwetosayitis harmless
thatparents
orclinicalpsychologists
causebehavior
identify
strably
as "problematic"?28
Fryeis makingtwo separatebut relatedpoints.If we are operating
witha notionof harmthatfocuses on consequencesand accordingly
entails a distinctionbetweenharmand hurt,we need to look intothe
questionofhurttoo.An experiencemaynotbe bad in thesense ofbeing
harmful,and stillbe verybad indeedin thatit hurts;thatis, it maybe
bad in itself.And whetherit is is likelyto be muchmoredifficultto
know thanwhetherit has bad consequences,because of an important
of thesituationin whichit takesplace.
asymmetry
This asymmetry
is significantforthe questionof consent,or whatevertypeof a child's willingnessto participatein a sex act withan adult
Ehmanand O'Carroll proposeto substituteforfull-fledged
consent.It
is truethatthe consentof some adultsto sex mightbe thoughtflawed
because of theirinsufficient
knowledgeof relevantfactsand poor apof
of theirdecisions and actions.But
various
ramifications
preciation
thisis surelynotreasonenoughfordiscardingtherequirement
of valid
consentaltogether.For in the case of adultsthisflaw is normallycontingent,in thatthe adult could attainto morespecificknowledgeand
bettercomprehension
of such matters,if he or she made an effortto do
so. The positionof a childis importantly
different.
Owingto thechild's
limitedexperienceand limitedpsychologicalresources,bothcognitive
and emotional,itsknowledgeand understanding
of selfand theworldis
inevitablylimitedtoo. Because of that,a childdoes notmerelyhappen
to have, but cannothelp havinga verylimitedcomprehension
of the

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PEDOPHILIA

107

all chilphysical,psychological,and social aspectsofsex. Accordingly,

on
and
this
count.
drenare at a considerable
inescapable disadvantage
This is compoundedbythefactthatpedophilesandchildreninvolved
different
withthemtendto attachsignificantly
meaningto theiractions
and experiences.As SandorFerenczipointedout in a lecturegiven in
1932, adult-childsexual contactis liable to generatemuchmisunderstandingbecause of a fundamentaldifferencebetween adult erotic
experienceand thatof children.The formeris characterizedby sexual
passion,whereasthelatterusuallyamountsto nothingmorethanplayand affection.Whatoftenhappensis thattheadult
fulness,tenderness,
the
child's
"mistakes
playfulnessforwishesof a sexuallymatureperThis warning
son," and thenacts on thebasis of this misperception.29
has been echoedby morerecentresearchon childrenwhowillinglyparticipatein sexual contactwithadults.Whatsucha childtypicallylooks
and affection,ratherthan
forin its relationwiththeadultis sympathy
which
the
adult
as sexually
The
actions
sexual gratification.
interprets
suggestiveor even provocativeare notmeantas such by the child,but
are ratherexpressionsof curiosityor playfulness.Thus thewhole interactiontakeson sexual importfortheadult,butnotforthechild.30
For consentto be morally(and legally) valid, it mustbe informed
of knowledgeand compreand givenfreely.In view of theasymmetry
of meaningthe interactionhas
hension,compoundedby thedifference
fortheadultand thechild,it can be maintainedthatthewillingchildis
andtherefore
itswillingnesscannotlegitimize
notreasonablyinformed,
withit. It is also notfreeenough.David
an adult's sexual involvement
Finkelhorexplainsthechild's lack of freedomby thefactthat"adults
- food,
controlall kinds of resourcesthatare essential to [children]
money,freedom,etc. In thissense,thechildis exactlylike theprisoner
who volunteersto be a researchsubject.The child has no freedomin
whichto considerthechoice."311 thinkthatthemaincause ofthechild's
shouldbe soughtelsewhere:in thefar-reaching
asymmetry
predicament
and power,as well as theconseof physicaland psychologicalmaturity
quent social standing,betweena child and an adult. Because of this
inthecourse
andreinforced
andofthewayitis acknowledged
asymmetry
ofbringingup children,a childtendsto see an adultas somethingof an
authority
figuremerelybyvirtueofbeingadult.It tendstodeferto adults,
to assertitselfagainstan adult,to say no
and oftenfindsit verydifficult
to an adult'srequestsand advances.Thereforeit can be maintainedthat
a child's willingnessto go along is notfreeenoughto license an adult's
withit.
sexual involvement
To be sure,noteverysexual involvementamongadultstakes place
An adult'sconsentto sex maybe morally(and perhaps
on an equal footing.

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108

PUBLIC AFFAIRS QUARTERLY

also legally) invalid,or flawed,because it is extortedby a threat,or

procuredby a coercive or exploitativeoffer,againsta backgroundof
significant
powerinequality.But again,whileonlysomeadultsare in a
positionof gross inequalityin relationto others,all childrenare in a
positionof greatlyunequal powerin relationto adults.
fromtheasymmeSome defendersof pedophiliarejecttheargument
withthem.
involved
and
children
of
between
adults
sexually
try power
They arguethatthe initialimbalanceof poweris redressedby thefact
that"any minorhas thepotentialpowerto send an adultpartnerto jail
forhalfof his or herlife."32This defensefails fortwo reasons.First,it
is clearlynottrueof all adult-childsex: in some cases thechildis much
too youngto even conceive,let alone carryout,such a feat.Second, to
theextentthatthisparticular"potentialpower"indeedexists,it is conferredby theverylaws theapologistsof pedophiliaseek to abolish.
It seems to me,then,thatalthoughit mustbe grantedthattheharmfulnessof pedophiliais still verymucha mootpoint,otherarguments
groundforbothits moral
againstit are valid. They providesufficient
and
condemnation legal prohibition.
all current
Of course,to say thisis notto underwrite
legal provisions
metedout to
relatingto pedophilia,includingthe harshpunishments
The
in
some
surely
jurisdictions. existinglegal arrangements
pedophiles
leave somethingto be desiredin termsoftheinterestsandrightsofboth
adultsand childrenconcerned.
This conclusionshouldnotbe mistakenfora throwbackto theconceptionof childhoodas innocentof all sexual knowledgeand interest.
That conceptionis at odds withreality.It generatesa set of misguided
attitudesand practices:the withholdingfromchildrenof information
abouthumansexuality,suppressionof theirsexual feelingsand behavior, hinderingof theirsexual development.The argumentsgrounding
of
thecondemnation
of pedophiliareferto thefar-reaching
asymmetry
and
chiladults
and
between
knowledge,understanding,
maturity, power
dren.These argumentsdo notapplyto sexual involvementof children
withtheirpeers. Thereforethe rejectionof pedophiliadoes not entail
therejectionof sexual contactsofchildrenwiththeirpeerstoo.33On the
it is fullycompatiblewitha generousconceptionof sexual
contrary,
educationforchildrenand a permissiveattitudeto theirsexual play,
exploration,and pleasure.34
The HebrewUniversity,
Jerusalem

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PEDOPHILIA

109

NOTES
1. W. Johansson,"Pederasty,"in W. R. Dynes, ed., Encyclopediaof
vol. 2 (Chicago:St. JamesPress,1990),p. 961.
Homosexuality,
in W. R. Dynes,ed.,op.cit.,vol. 1.
2. See StephenDonaldson,"Ephebophilia,"
AmericanPhilosophicalQuarterly
"SexualPerversion,"
3. See IgorPrimoratz,
34(1997).
'"The Paedophile's'Progress:A View fromBelow,"in Brian
4. Ken Plummer,
on Paedophilia(London:Batsford,
1981),p. 130.
Taylor,ed.,Perspectives
"The Adult,"in B. Taylor,ed.,op.cit.,p. 27.
5. PeterRighton,
a
ofpedophiliasee K. Plummer,
6. On thestereotypes
"Pedophilia:Constructing
SociologicalBaseline,"in M. Cook andK. Howells,eds.,AdultSexualInterestin
Children(London:AcademicPress,1981),pp. 224-228; P. Righton,
op. cit.
whereall homosexualsex, or
7. To be sure,thereare stillsomejurisdictions
homosexualsex betweenmales,is againstthelaw.
A
see MichaelRuse,Homosexuality:
8. On themoralstatusof homosexuality
PhilosophicalInquiry(Oxford:Blackwell,1988),chap. 8; RogerScruton,Sexual
and Nicolson,1986),
Desire: A PhilosophicalInvestigation
(London:Weidenfeld
and
Lust
Revisited:
"Love
Martin
J.
Stafford,
Inentionality,
pp.281-283,305-311;
5 (1988).
andMoralEducation,"JournalofAppliedPhilosophy
Homosexuality
see Igor
9. On the same type of argumentdeployedagainstprostitution,
68 (1993): 162-163.
"What'sWrongwithProstitution?"
Primoratz,
Philosophy
10. Suchas J.Z. Eglinton,GreekLove (London:NevilleSpearman,1971).
11. T. O'Carroll,Paedophilia:TheRadical Case (London:PeterOwen,1980);
andSex,
R. Ehman,"Adult-Child
Sex,"inR. BakerandF. Elliston,eds.,Philosophy
2nded. (Buffalo:Prometheus
Books,1984).
12. See PhilippeAries,Centuries
ofChildhood:A Social HistoryofFamilyLife,
trans.R. Baldick(New York:VintageBooks, 1962),in particular
partI, chap.V:
to Innocence.Fora goodaccountofthemainproblemsplaguing
FromImmodesty
theAriesthesis,see David Archard,Children:Rightsand Childhood(London:
Routledge,1993),chaps.2-3.
theideaofsexualinnocenceofchildren:
endorsed
hasrecently
13.RogerScruton
shouldnotoccurbeforethe'age ofinnocence'has
"Wedesirethat[sexual]initiation
expired,sincewe desiresexualexpressionto be withhelduntilit can existas an
response.Our perceptionof the moralinnocenceof the child is
interpersonal
not to awakenin thechild an
combinedwitha powerfulinterdiction:
therefore
to him"(R. Scruton,
in thesethingswhichareforbidden
interest
op.cit.,p. 297).
14. R. Ehman,op.cit.,p. 433.
SexualBehaviorinthe
andC. E. Martin,
15. See A. C. Kinsey,W. B. Pomeroy,
HumanMale (Philadelphia:W. B. Saunders,1948),chap. 5; A. C. Kinsey,W. B.
C. E. MartinandP. H. Gebhard,SexualBehaviorin theHumanFemale
Pomeroy,
W. B. Saunders,1953),chap.4.
(Philadelphia:

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1 10

PUBLIC AFFAIRS QUARTERLY

16. See T. O'Carroll, op.cit., chaps. 2 and 5.

17. L. Burton,VulnerableChildren(London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1967).
18. Quoted in T. O'Carroll, op.cit., p. 64.
19. M. Tsai, S. Feldman-Summers,and M. Edgar, "Childhood Molestation:
Variables Related to DifferentialImpacts on Psychosexual Functioningin Adult
Women," JournalofAbnormalPsychology88 (1979).
20. R. Ehman, op.cit., pp. 435-436.
21. K. Plummer,op.cit., p. 227.
22. G. E. Powell and A. J.Chalkley,"The Effectsof Paedophile Attentionon the
Child," in B. Taylor, ed., op.cit.
23. See David Finkelhor, "What's Wrong with Sex between Adults and
49 (1979).
Children?"AmericanJournalof Orthopsychiatry
24. R. Ehman, op.cit., pp. 439-441.
25. T. O'Carroll, op.cit., p. 153.
26. Ibid., p. 56.
27. For a detailedproposalof legal reformalongtheselines,see T. O'Carroll,op.cit.,
chap. 6. On children'srightsin general,see David Archard,op.cit.,chaps. 4-7.
28. M. Frye,"Critique," in R. Baker and F. Elliston, eds., op.cit., pp. 450-451.
zwischen den Erwachsenenund dem Kind
29. S. Ferenczi, "Sprachverwirrung
und
der Leidenschaft)," Bausteine zur
(Die Sprache der Zaertlichkeit
III
2.
Bd.
(Bern: Verlag Hans Huber, 1964), p. 518.
Psychoanalyse, Aufl.,
Victims:A Studyof Sexual Offenses
30. See, e.g., Michael Ingram,"Participating
withBoys," in LarryL. Constantineand Floyd M. Martinson,eds., Childrenand Sex:
New Findings,New Perspectives(Boston: Little,Brownand Co., 1981).
31. D. Finkelhor,op.cit., p. 695.
32. Pat Califia, "Man/Boy Love and the Lesbian/Gay Movement," in Daniel
Tsang, ed., The Age Taboo: Gay Male Sexuality, Power and Consent (Boston:
Alyson Publications, 1981), p. 138.
33. Sexual interactionof childrenwithotherchildrenwho are not theirsexual
peers, i.e., between a pubescentand a prepubescentchild, may well be a different
ofthe
matter,since such cases are liable to involve a significantdegreeof asymmetry
sortthatvitiatesadult-childsex.
34. Thanks to StephenClark forhelpfulcommentson an earlierdraft.

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