Are Private Property Rights Morally Problematic? Examining the Interplay of Coercion and Ownership in Market Dynamics

• Grant number: 24/15031-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: February 29, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - Political Theory
• Principal Investigator: Álvaro de Vita
• Grantee: Caio Motta
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In contemporary normative political theory, an important debate centers around the potentially morally problematic nature of private property rights. Our main research problem explores these rights through their potential link to coercion, particularly in the context of market offers. This discourse divides liberal egalitarians, who argue that such rights may engender power imbalances and coercion, and libertarians like Robert Nozick, Jan Narveson, and Eric Mack, who deem these rights vital for individual autonomy. Our primary objective is to investigate these claims, drawing insights from thinkers like Serena Olsaretti, who elucidates the nuances of potentially coercive market transactions, and other coercion theorists who debate whether market offers can indeed be coercive. Addressing an understudied dimension in political theory, particularly in Brazilian academia, our research elucidates the ambiguous boundaries between coercion and offers within capitalist contexts. Navigating the intersection of private property rights and coercion offers fresh insights into market ethics. Should these rights mask coercive underpinnings, it raises critical questions on their foundational status. Our study thus provides essential context, influencing policy and rights discourse. (AU)