Week 7 Flashcards
(18 cards)
What are sweatshops?
Factories with poor, unsafe working conditions, low wages, and long hours—often in poor countries with weak labor laws.
Why are sweatshops common in fast fashion?
Fast fashion companies use sweatshops to make cheap clothes quickly, often ignoring worker safety and pay standards.
Why do workers accept sweatshop jobs?
Due to global poverty and lack of better options, these jobs may seem like the best available alternative.
What is the global justice issue with sweatshops?
Actions in rich countries (like outsourcing or trade policies) can harm people in poor countries—raising moral concerns about fairness and responsibility.
What is autonomy?
The ability to make choices freely without manipulation or extreme pressure.
How does poverty affect autonomy?
Extreme poverty limits real choices, making even “voluntary” work (like in sweatshops) potentially coercive.
What is coercion according to Nozick?
Changing someone’s decision-making using threats or limited choices—like forcing overtime or threatening job loss.
What is the main argument from Powell & Zwolinski?
Sweatshops are better than no jobs. They are voluntary, mutually beneficial, and help workers more than banning them would.
What is the “Non-Worseness Claim”?
It’s not worse to offer an unfair job (like in sweatshops) than to offer no job—if the person is still better off.
What do P&Z say about raising wages or safety standards?
Doing so might make firms less competitive and cause unemployment, harming workers more in the long run.
What is exploitation?
Taking unfair advantage of someone—either through process (coercion, deception) or outcome (huge inequality in benefits).
Can an interaction be both beneficial and exploitative?
Yes. If someone gains but is treated unfairly or without dignity, it can still be exploitative.
What is the difference between procedural and substantive exploitation?
Procedural = unfair process (e.g., deception).
Substantive = unfair outcome (e.g., extreme profit imbalance).
What is Rodrick Long’s critique?
Instead of justifying bad jobs, we should work to create better options for sweatshop workers.
What is the consumer role in sweatshop ethics?
Consumers could absorb higher costs if prices rose slightly to improve wages—suggesting improvements are possible.
What is the “baseline” in moral comparisons?
The scenario used for comparison. Is the worker better off compared to no job, or compared to a fair job?
What is the duty of beneficence?
The moral responsibility to help others when you’re in a position of power—like corporations are toward employees.
Are sweatshop workers exploited or empowered?
Depends on your view: they may be better off than nothing, but they are also not treated with fairness or dignity.
