Why Nobody Is Born A Pedophile

In the past, I’ve made it very clear that I do not buy into the idea that pedophiles are “born that way.” Or, to put it another way, I do not believe that pedophilia is something that a pedophile is “born with,” because of factors outside their control. Of course, the idea that they are has become quite popular as of late, especially among people who want to link acceptance of pedophilia with acceptance of homosexuality.

However, although I have poked holes in previous research stating that pedophiles were born with their attraction towards children, I have never actually sat down and explained why I believe pedophiles aren’t. As such, I feel it is finally time we talk about the real research behind pedophilia and see exactly what it tells us.

To start out with, we need to answer a very simple question: What is pedophilia? The word “philia” is a Greek term, originally one of their five forms of love, with Aristotle defining it as both dispassionate and virtuous. He also clarified this love is usually between equals, such as the feelings a friend might naturally have for his friends, family, or community.

However, it is currently defined by Oxford dictionary as “denoting fondness, especially an abnormal love for a specified thing.” It is also the basics for the term Paraphilia, also defined by Oxford as: