ABSTRACT
The prostitution has nothing to do with the fact that sexual flirtation is involved; it has to do with the phoniness and duplicity of flirting behavior, which makes a mockery of genuine, intimate, honest human relationships. While few would single out the fifteenth century as especially significant in the development of pornographic literature, Machiavelli’s The Prince can be regarded as the original sourcebook for soft-core pornography. The essence of the set-up is manipulation; further, the game itself is at least as satisfying as a winning score. As Abraham Maslow makes clear, self-actualization represents the fulfillment of the individual’s highest potential, his becoming everything he has the capacity to become. While the counter-culture can be viewed as attempting to change some of these pornographic aspects of American social and sexual life, several caveats are in order.
