General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 'Paedophilia is natural and normal for males' [View all]Xithras
(16,191 posts)That's really the problem with this discussion. The word "normal" is colloquially taken to mean "average" or "acceptable" in our society. Scientifically, as the article in the OP meant it, it simply means that it's an expected part of a distribution or curve. When you're talking about something like pedophilia, those two meanings imply very different things. Scientifically, something like pedophilia can be BOTH "normal" and "rare", in that it's an expected part of the curve, while only representing a small part of the overall curve.
I took "normal" the way the original article (and Kinsey) meant it. It simply means that in any cross section of society, you're going to have a certain percentage of individuals that conform to that type. It's a "normal and expected" portion of the curve. It's certainly not typical or common within society as a whole, and recognizing that it's an expected portion of the curve is not the same thing as making its expression acceptable.