The nonworseness claim and oppressive double binds

Landström, K ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7681-0857, 2025. The nonworseness claim and oppressive double binds. In: 2025 Annual Meeting of the Society for Business Ethics, Copenhagen Business School, 24-27 July 2025.

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Abstract

The nonworseness claim has been a longstanding topic of discussion among business ethicists. It posits that it cannot be worse, morally speaking, to engage in a voluntary and mutually beneficial transaction, than to refrain from transacting altogether. I introduce oppressive double binds as a significant moral concern for these debates and argue that they constitute a challenge for defenders of the nonworseness claim. I argue for three main claims. First, I argue that the choice situation facing potential sweatshop employees constitute a form of oppressive double bind. Second, I argue that choice situations structured as oppressive double binds are morally problematic as they perniciously constrain the agency of those subjected to them as well as reproduce and maintain structural injustice and oppression. Lastly, I argue for a negative duty held by the beneficiaries of structural injustice to not subject the victims of structural injustice to oppressive double binds.

Item Type:	Conference contribution
Creators:	Landström, K.
Date:	July 2025
Identifiers:	Number Type 2506402 Other
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Business School
Record created by:	Laura Borcherds
Date Added:	07 Oct 2025 09:47
Last Modified:	07 Oct 2025 09:47
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/54507

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