Date of Completion
10-18-2016
Embargo Period
10-18-2016
Keywords
moral exploitation, moral vulnerability, recruit, surrogate
Major Advisor
Hallie Liberto
Co-Major Advisor
Michael Lynch
Associate Advisor
Paul Bloomfield
Associate Advisor
Suzy Killmister
Field of Study
Philosophy
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Open Access
Open Access
Abstract
I argue that accounts of exploitation have been too narrowly defined specifically with respect to notions of exploitee vulnerability and exploiter benefit. Contrary to typical accounts that formulate vulnerability in terms of a physical, economic, epistemic, or emotional constraint, I contend that agents may be rendered equally vulnerable merely in virtue of their moral commitments. Furthermore, contrary to accounts that formulate exploiter benefit in terms of a physical good or service extracted from the exploitee, I contend that agents may also be exploited by being made to shoulder additional moral burdens. After outlining these under- acknowledged normative features of exploitation, I then go on to apply them to the two real- world cases of military recruitment and commercial surrogacy.
Recommended Citation
Robillard, Michael J., "On the Moral Dimensions of Vulnerability and Exploitation" (2016). Doctoral Dissertations. 1244.
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/dissertations/1244