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| Property Rights |
| Ann
Speaking
|
 The Lockean
proviso raises one problem for libertarian property rights. But I think that there are
other problems. As a utilitarian, I judge acts and policies by their
consequences. The problem with most libertarians is that consequences
are a secondary concern -- or not a concern at all.If we carry libertarian property rights to their logical conclusions, there are both logical and actual economic consequences that need to be considered. For example, there is the problem of what are sometimes called "coercive wage bargains." The logical consequence of libertarian principles is that virtually any wage agreement is justified if the parties are not physically coerced or threatened with physical coercion. The economic consequence is that millions of people end up working under poor conditions for extremely low wages and any government interference to help them is said to be morally unacceptable. To do anything would be to interfere with a so-called "voluntary" or "free" agreement between individuals. In my opinion, these consequences -- both logical and economic -- are exactly the sort of reason we should reject libertarian principles in the economic area. The philosopher Thomas Scanlon makes the following point when criticizing Nozick's views It is central to Nozick's argument that the rights with which he is concerned are claimed to be natural rights in the stronger sense [i.e. rights that individuals can claim in the state of nature]. The objections I have raised to his examples almost all demand that he consider the consequences of enforcement of absolute property and contract rights and that he explain why the loss of liberty this involves for some people is not worse than that which is involved in the alternative systems which he deplores. [Reading Nozick, p. 123, brackets added.]The point is that consequences matter. They shouldn't be ignored. |
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