Markets without Limits: Moral Virtues and Commercial Interests

The book "Markets without Limits" argues that there are no inherent limits to what can be bought and sold, but only restrictions on how we buy and sell. It challenges the conservative consensus that commodification degrades human dignity and corrodes our character. The authors claim that the market does not introduce wrongness where there was not any previously and that if you can do it for free, you can do it for money.

Format: Hardback
Length: 348 pages
Publication date: 24 June 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Introduction:
Most people—and many philosophers—shudder at these questions. To put some goods and services for sale offends human dignity. If everything is commodified, then nothing is sacred. The market corrodes our character.

In this expanded second edition of Markets without Limits, Jason Brennan and Peter M. Jaworski say it is now past time to give markets a fair hearing. The market does not, the authors claim, introduce wrongness where there was not any previously. Thus, the question of what rightfully may be bought and sold has a simple answer: if you may do it for free, you may do it for money. Contrary to the conservative consensus, Brennan and Jaworski claim there are no inherent limits to what can be bought and sold, but only restrictions on how we buy and sell.

Key Updates and Revisions to the Second Edition:

• Includes revised introductory chapters to further clarify whats at stake in the commodification debate.


• Provides easier-to-follow chapters on semiotic objections, stronger analyses of these objections, and more evidence of these objections widespread pervasiveness.


• Offers cogent responses to several recent papers that have raised counterexamples to the authors thesis.


• Includes new empirical evidence on the ways markets sometimes crowd in virtue and altruism.


• Analyzes the topics of blackmail and associative objections to markets.


• Includes new material on issues surrounding exploitation and coercion, selling citizens.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, Markets without Limits is a thought-provoking and challenging book that offers a fresh perspective on the commodification debate. While some may be uncomfortable with the idea of selling certain goods and services, Brennan and Jaworski argue that there are no inherent limits to what can be bought and sold, but only restrictions on how we buy and sell. By challenging the conservative consensus and offering a more nuanced and empirically grounded analysis, this book provides a valuable contribution to the ongoing discussion about the role of markets in our society.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367758875
Edition number: 2 ed