What is pornography?

Hear me out on this one.
I just grabbed a definition from an online dictionary:

pornography

noun
creative activity (writing or pictures or films etc.) of no literary or artistic value other than to stimulate sexual desire

I have always thought that a better definition is thus:

The depiction of an idea, scene, or story, focusing on some specific technicality, whilst avoiding artist merit or characterisation.

I feel that quite a lot of Science Fiction is "pornographic", in it's insistance on describing the 'science' in great detail and missing out the 'fiction'. I feel that when one zeroes in on one specific detail and then repeats it, or describes it indefinately, it is faintly pornographic. In a sense, quite a lot of modern films start to slip towards porn in so much as they are designed to titilate, and 'turn on' the audience with repetitve musical hooks, cliches, etc..
I mention this only as it is something I try to be aware of, when thinking about my creative life (designing clothes, playing guitar), to try to find some essence to communicate and not merely press the obvious buttons.

By the way I am an avid SciFi and fantasy fan (Ian M Banks, Philip Pullman, Battlestar Galactica, Heroes).

I would be interested in anyones opinions on my theory.

Philip Pullman is a fantasy writer. Heroes is a good idea with horrible writing.

As for your theory, I dont really have an opinion.

Well... I apreciate your philosophy but do not agree. The main idea of pornography is sexual stimulation. Bad sci-fi is simply bad sci-fi.

I also believe that pornography is strictly what the dictionary definition says it is. Sure people can get sexual stimulation by other methods, but I do not believe it's necessarily pornography.

giulio said:

Well... I apreciate your philosophy but do not agree. The main idea of pornography is sexual stimulation. Bad sci-fi is simply bad sci-fi.

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That was well said....

I guess what I'm doing is re using the word in a slightly different context. Kind of stealing it, if you like, to explain a particular kind of narrowness of view.

And, yeah, i know Phillip Pullman is a fantasy writer, I said I liked Sci Fi and Fantasy.

todd51 said:

I also believe that pornography is strictly what the dictionary definition says it is. Sure people can get sexual stimulation by other methods, but I do not believe it's necessarily pornography.

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Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting people get turned on by bad sci fi!
That would just be perverted...;D

So if you shoot a porno, but its artistic and beautiful and just a dazzling display of artistic creativity, just THE BEST porn movie ever. Its not porn because its artistic?

"The depiction of an idea, scene, or story, focusing on some specific technicality, whilst avoiding artist merit or characterisation." ???

CL33Zero said:

So if you shoot a porno, but its artistic and beautiful and just a dazzling display of artistic creativity, just THE BEST porn movie ever. Its not porn because its artistic?

"The depiction of an idea, scene, or story, focusing on some specific technicality, whilst avoiding artist merit or characterisation." ???

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Interesting point.

If the film is just beautifully, artistically filmed sex, then I'd say it's still a porno. If, how ever, it turns into a story , with great characters, and the reason for the film is no longer to turn you on, then no, it won't be a porno.

There are lots of movies with explicit sex scenes, that are not pornographic films. Perhaps the one scene can be labeled as pornographic.

The point of the movie is to tell a story. If it's important to show the bond of two characters with sex, so be it. That does not make the entire movie a pornographic film, because sexually stimuating the audience is the not the main reason for the film.

Has anyone ever seen Conan the Barbarian? A few spicy scenes in there.