Pornography is Good For Us: Without it We Would Be a Far More Repressed Society

Pornography is Good For Us: Without it We Would Be a Far More Repressed Society

Hooray for porn! What would we be without it? Bored, repressed, frustrated. Porn allows the timid to indulge fantasies they’d never live out in real life and the adventurous to experiment with new forms of pleasure. Now that it has stepped down from the top shelf and waltzed across the internet we can all enjoy it. All we need to do is stop pretending it’s something dirty and come straight out and salute it. Or maybe not. Porn after all is selling a lie: that women are always eager to engage in extreme practices, that bodies are always tanned and buffed, orgasms explosive. Isn’t this a recipe for frustration and disappointment? And to attract the restless voyeur, porn is always having to up the ante – cyber-sex is getting ever more degrading and extreme. Men are finding it harder to be satisfied with their real world partners, women are feeling inadequate and pressured to live up to the cyber-competition – this is the reality of pornland. So which is it – the great liberator of the libido or a blight on... — We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2. And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared.. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(1505)

Implementing and scaling AI agents in business

Implementing and scaling AI agents in business

Many organisations are experimenting with AI and AI agents. But far fewer are seeing real, measurable impact. The challenge isn’t ambition, it’s readiness. As we explored in the first episode of this ...

29 Jan 35min

Happy Mind, Happy Life, with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Happy Mind, Happy Life, with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Happiness is good for your health. That’s the argument of Dr Rangan Chatterjee, one of the most influential doctors in the UK and host of Europe’s biggest health podcast Feel Better, Live More. Throug...

28 Jan 1h 26min

Can Britain Become an AI Superpower? The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook (Part Two)

Can Britain Become an AI Superpower? The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook (Part Two)

A record £2.9 billion was invested in British AI companies last year as Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to make the UK an AI superpower. But according to influential business leaders such as Jensen ...

26 Jan 35min

Can Britain Become an AI Superpower? The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook (Part One)

Can Britain Become an AI Superpower? The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook (Part One)

A record £2.9 billion was invested in British AI companies last year as Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to make the UK an AI superpower. But according to influential business leaders such as Jensen ...

25 Jan 36min

How To Take the Pressure Off and Live Well, with Claudia Hammond (Part Two)

How To Take the Pressure Off and Live Well, with Claudia Hammond (Part Two)

Do you feel as if there is often too much to do in too little time? We are all familiar with overwhelm – an unsettling sense that it is just impossible to keep up with the demands of everyday life. I...

23 Jan 39min

How To Take the Pressure Off and Live Well, with Claudia Hammond (Part One)

How To Take the Pressure Off and Live Well, with Claudia Hammond (Part One)

Do you feel as if there is often too much to do in too little time? We are all familiar with overwhelm – an unsettling sense that it is just impossible to keep up with the demands of everyday life. I...

21 Jan 35min

Is Greece Becoming the New Borderland Between East and West? With Sean Matthews

Is Greece Becoming the New Borderland Between East and West? With Sean Matthews

How does Greece’s Byzantine and Ottoman past shape its future? In this episode, Helen Carr speaks to journalist and author Sean Matthews about Greece’s shifting geopolitical role and alliances. Caug...

19 Jan 43min

An Evening with Alan Davies (Part Two)

An Evening with Alan Davies (Part Two)

Alan Davies is one of the UK’s most-loved comedians best known for starring in the BBC series Jonathan Creek, and for his regular appearances on comedy quiz show QI since 2003.  In September 2025 he ...

18 Jan 36min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
popradet
stopp-verden
det-store-bildet
bt-dokumentar-2
rss-gukild-johaug
dine-penger-pengeradet
nokon-ma-ga
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
fotballpodden-2
hanna-de-heldige
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
aftenbla-bla
e24-podden
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-ness