A philosophy professor at the State University of New York recently went viral on social media for all the wrong reasons. In a video reposted by a Twitter user called “LibsOfTikTok,” Stephen Kershnar was shown arguing that it cannot be known if sexual relations between an adult and a minor are wrong. He also insisted there could be evolutionary advantages for these types of relationships.

“I would claim that in evolutionary terms, as best as we can determine, there’s a strong evolutionary case for adult-child sex,” the professor said.

The Washington Examiner reported:

Kershnar has published several books on the philosophy of pedophilia and morality, including Pedophilia and Adult–Child Sex: A Philosophical Analysis in 2017 and Total Collapse: The Case Against Responsibility and Morality in 2018.

In the video, the professor said “it is not obvious” that a situation in which an adult male has sex with a 12-year-old girl “is in fact wrong,” if the child is willing to participate. He said it is “a mistake” to treat the issue as if it were morally wrong.

“I think exploring why it’s a mistake will tell us not only things about adult-child sex and statutory rape but also about fundamental principles of morality,” Kershnar added.

“So, if we don’t know whether willing sex with 15-year-olds is going to have net good or bad consequences …people wanting to criminalize something bear the burden,” he continued. “Before we condemn people for engaging in these on the basis of probabilistic utilitarianism, we should know that it does pose a risk for those willing participants. I don’t think we know that.”

🚨🚨🚨 Professor says an adult wanting to have sex with a kid is accepted as being wrong but “it’s not obvious to me that it is in fact wrong” pic.twitter.com/ygC5nuHDNa

— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) February 2, 2022

He compares minors consenting to sex to them consenting to a kickball game or lessons pic.twitter.com/AG4rAF1koT

— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) February 2, 2022

He suggests that we don’t know if sex with a minor is good or bad, so therefore it shouldn’t be banned or condemned pic.twitter.com/tFQZxArgQS

— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) February 2, 2022

He continued, further attempting to justify sexual relations between adults and children:

Let me address the evolution in adult child sex. And again, I’m speculating here, but it’s not obvious to me there are an evolutionary advantage. And here’s the reasons to think there are evolutionary advantages. One is when you test college-age males, surprisingly surprising numbers is like over one fifth show attraction to prepubescent individuals. I assume that’s mostly girls.

And that’s true not only when you ask them to self-report it, which people have got to be hasn’t self reported, but when you use the Penal responses, which are kind of true test. So it’s fairly widespread among young men, particularly young men in our society. Second, you see in the huntergatherers, you see it in all sorts of cultures that are quite different than our own in places like New Guinea and things like that. Melanesia.

In another video, Kershnar intimated that researchers found that pedophilia is not harmful to children and implied much of the problem lies with how society reacts to these scenarios. He said:

Because this seems to be like a paradigm case. There’s actually some meta studies which seem to suggest that in some cases, at least with regard to adult males and underage males, that it’s not harmful or if it is harmful, we can’t decide whether the harm is due to the sex itself or the fact that society goes berserk over

One of the articles I was reading said, look, this is wrong. We don’t need to know whether it’s harmful. The empirical question of whether or not there’s any long-term harm we can track on this is really beside the point. And I was kind of stuck with the question. I thought, well, it’s not obvious to me why that is.

In response to the footage going viral, Stephen Kolison, the president of the university, released a statement explaining “the views expressed by the professor are reprehensible and do not represent the values of SUNY Fredonia in any way, shape or form. They are solely the professor’s views. The matter is being reviewed.”

Some folks on the left are fond of mocking conservatives when they express concern over pedophilia and the notion that some are trying to normalize it. To be fair, there have been several who have weaponized pedophilia in the same way the left has weaponized racism.

However, it is clear there are people working to make sexual relations between adults and children more palatable to the American public. They seek to persuade people to look at folks who commit these acts as normal people with normal attractions. Fortunately, the vast majority of Americans, regardless of political affiliation, rejects these ideas. However, this does not mean that there aren’t still people who wish to turn the tide.