The Morality of Exchange and Commercial Systems

The nature of 'voluntary' action is considered, and problematized. A key question is whether coercion requires human agency, or can be produced by circumstances. The basis of many arguments for commercial society, and voluntary exchange, requires that the actions be voluntary. But differences in power, need, and capacity raise questions about whether exchanges are voluntary. Examples from John Locke's 'Venditio' and a number of settings in classic fiction and film are considered and analyzed. The final portion of the class considers policies that might allow individuals to have sufficiently attractive alternatives to make calling their actions voluntary more reasonable.