Max More

Max More, formerly known as Max O'Connor, is a libertarian writer who, after writing an essay Sex, Coercion and the Age of Consent, retracted his theory that children could voluntarily accept and enjoy sexual relations. In that essay, he had written:

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Does it really matter whether the child has any understanding of sex? Sex is just another source of pleasure, a potentially potent source perhaps, but basically little different to any other. If there is nothing objectionable about an adult giving a child sweets or toys, why is giving sexual pleasure wrong? It is ludicrous to reply that the adult is “abusing” the child for his or her own pleasure. Such an attitude implies a hatred of all pleasure gained through voluntary exchange to mutual benefit… And why is it abuse? Below the age of twelve or so, a child may not be particularly interested in seeking sexual relations but that doesn’t mean he or she will not voluntarily accept and enjoy them. (Sex, Coercion and the Age of Consent, Libertarian Alliance, 1981, p. 1)

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