"We all debate the topic [of prostitution] without bringing up the delicate question of the benefits (or lack thereof?) to the customers," writes Tyler Cowen. " No one wants to say 'I think guys should be able to [fill in the blank] more often and more easily,' but that's what at least half the story boils down to." Fair point. While it's arguable whether prostitution can really cure the lonesomeness of being sexually marginalized (there's also a desire for intimacy there that's not being fulfilled), it certainly brings some benefit to the men seeking it out. Charles Fourier, the utopian French philosopher, thought that in the good society everyone would be guaranteed a certain quota of sex, and if you couldn't achieve it on your own, it would be provided to you by designated sex workers in your community. That seems a bit excessive, but the underlying insight is sound. Some individuals, both male and female, have a genuine hunger for sexual contact that they're not being able to fulfill on their own. If you could tamp down on the negative externalities of illegal prostitution -- drug trafficking, violence, and the like -- it would seem like letting them ease that ache in exchange for money would be to everyone's benefit.
