Q&A: Smartphone
Smartphone
Question
I saw that there is already a question on this topic, but I got lost in the discussion (a non-extreme Haredi commenter went on at length in response to me).
A. In your opinion, is there a problem with a smartphone without filtering?
A.1. Do you believe the extreme statistics (300% of religious people spend their days and nights on porn sites)?
A.2. If they are true, is that a reason to prohibit it, or can a person say, "I will increase [the risk] and not be prohibited"?
A.3. Today, when filters are relatively easy and available, and are constantly improving so that they do not come at the expense of convenience of use, does the law change (since ostensibly this involves "there is no other way")?
B. Do you know of anyone who wrote a full responsum on the topic, with a discussion of the statements of the halakhic decisors about "there is another way" and the prohibitions of looking and improper thoughts? And in general, are there other clearly eminent Torah scholars who rule leniently on this?
Answer
As I wrote there, in my opinion it is preferable with filtering, but I am not sure one can speak of a halakhic problem without filtering. And not because of "I will increase [the risk] and not be prohibited," but because it is considered like "there is no other way" (and I explained there that even if there is a small difference in effort, that is like "there is no other way." This is not a law of coercion/duress).
I do not know of a ruling on the matter.
As for the statistics, I am very doubtful about them.
Discussion on Answer
Indeed; see the passage in tractate Pesachim and the medieval authorities (Rishonim) there.
But according to this, you have emptied "there is no other way" of its content.
After all, it is obvious that when a person chooses between two ways, he has some reason for it, which could be related to length or to trouble and difficulty.
Consequently, every choice could be justified as "there is no other way" (except for a case where I choose the problematic way only in order to sin), and the words of the Sages, "if there is another way, he is wicked," would apply only in a case of completely identical ways—which does not really exist except in the case of the late Buridan.