ZOMBIE FORUMS

I believe their full defintion of pornography was "Anything that causes sexual thought and has no artistic merit."

Commercials did not fall under this definition, while the works of certain artists, notably some guy who did black and white gay nudes, did.

I'm basically cribbing this from a Bill Hicks bit, btw. I don't particularly agree with it myself.

Nothing like recursive definitions.

I think that was sort of the point.

MY point was that it sidesteps the issue of "what is artistic merit"?, leaving the entire issue exactly where it started.

Personally, I consider erotic appeal to actually be a facit of artistic merit.
It provokes pleasant emotional responses from the viewer. Different emotions from, lets say, Van Gogh's sunflowers (I would hope, anyway) but still emotions. That is one of the first priorities of art. To provoke an emotion, a feeling, an idea within the viewer's mind. That, and to be a pleasant release for the crafter.

Porn satisfies it on all counts.