Gert-Jan

I think you jumped to conclusions. Look as I read it you stated that it is moral crime. I am not an expert on objectivism and I want to learn about it. I am and therefore I will think and I have chosen that I will not take anything dogmaticly. So I see this website as a chance test my believes and understandings. I've read some of Rand's books and I like them and I like objectivism, at least to the extend that I understood. I think it is also wise to say that I probably have a diffrent cultrural background then you, I am Dutch. I do agree that sex (especialy with strangers ) has it dangers. As I see it, it is still a value for value transaction. I wouldn't advise anyone to practice prostitution, but as a matter of fact I read on a blog a woman who is in debt and wanting to try prostitution for extra income. She said it was hard at first but after a couple of times she started to like it. Now I don't know what conclusions one can draw of that, but it seems to me that it is better than being in debt and not trying to get out. About self-immolation, I do not mean cutting one-self or any of that obvious kinds. I mean for instance that people smoke, which is generally seen as bad (I don't know if this is so by objective standards). Rand wrote: "When man thinks there is a fire in his mind, it is proper that he holds fire at his fingertips" (I apologize if I misquoted that. Useing traffic one has a greater chance of getting hurt than if one chooses to stay in bed per unit of time statisticly. Doing hard fisical work can damage one's body. Sitting at a computer all day can result in repetative stress disorder. One can get hurt if one plays sports, and one damages himself if one does not. What I want illustrate is that one should make choices by what one understands to be right and if you choose so I think that we should agree to disagree

For so far I agree Here I do not. First of all one shouldn't be so judge-mental. Second ones property doesn't deserve more respect than it gets. If one likes to be screwed and gets paid for that I can not see any evil in that. We all self immolate to a certain extend.

Well when you do I would like to discus it whith you. Well you can say, as you did, that it was dichotomy. I am not saying that to engage sex with a prostitute is the only alternative. I say that involuntary sex is bad, for it needs an involuntary victim. I say that sex should be mutuely concented. This doesn't mean that one should ask, but there has to be an implicit understanding. Please do not tell me by what rule I moraly judge. I just did, so I can, and so I will do. If there are other standards that need to be conciderd name them.

I like your question. Masterbating doesn't hurt anyone (if one cleans up one's mess afterwards). Pornography exist because it sells and one can make career in it. So, it is not evil, it is not unethical, but it can undermine sex. Sex is not an moral obligation, furthermore it is my opinion that one should not make a woman pregnant or get pregnant if one can not bring up a the child. I like to ad that even prostitution is not evil or bad in anyway (granted it isn't human slavery). It is better that men fuck a whore, than rape a random woman. Now, in conclusion. I do know it is better to have sex (for your own sake use protection), then to masterbate, because it is a greater pleasure (most of the time, if not look at where it goes wrong (afterward:P)). For my own sake I state that: "I am not paying money for sex, the only paying for the enjoyment is the enjoyment I give back in return).

I think you are part right. Self-esteem does come from trusting in your own faculties and competenties, but if you get your validation internaly the external will follow. Looking for others to validate you is a loosing strategy.