I’m back…
Just to preface: I am aware that this is an incredibly basic point, but it was something that I had been thinking about this morning and wanted to put into writing in case I ever need to come back to this thought.
As a moral nihilist, I find myself often butting heads with the notion of ethics. I believe that ethics, values, and morals are subjective and that nothing can be inherently “good” or “bad” in nature (don't hold me to this, I beg of you. This is why I hate putting writing on the internet).
First: to define “ethics”
Regardless of my personal feelings on the matter, I am aware that as a society we have construed an idea of ethics that we abide by. So, via google: “adjective relating to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these.” Okay, that actually was not super helpful. But we all know that as a society, we hold truths that we deem to be self-evident (thank you, founding fathers) regardless of who they apply to. These consist of laws such as no killing, no stealing, etcetera. Ethics also extend past the very forefront of our society and into our everyday lives. No cheating, no lying, no acts that could hurt or harm others.
Now that we have gotten that out of the way,,,
As humans, we are born into a society in which the basic necessities all hold monetary value. People must pay for food, water, shelter, and clothing. In order to earn money, people must hold a job/have a source of income, which then pays for said necessities. Without money, people would die of starvation and dehydration, or, on a less basic level, the consequences that follow homelessness and malnutrition.
It has now been established that one must hold a job/have a source of income in order to have access to basic necessities. This can also be referred to as a constraint of necessity.
Because capitalism imposes said constraint of necessity upon us and gives us no other option but to earn money, no work is voluntary (voluntary being defined as “done, given, or acting of one’s own free will” and free will being defined as “the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion”). It thus follows that no work is consensual under capitalism either, as it is not being done of people’s free wills (whether or not free will exists is an entirely different topic, one in which I would love to delve into another time). If no work is consensual, it would not be considered ethical (under the notions that society has developed surrounding “ethics”).
Now, none of this is to say that people cannot enjoy their jobs or find a job that they want to do. However, the very act of working, whether it be under an employer or for yourself, (there really is no such thing as working for only yourself under capitalism, though) can never be considered ethical under capitalism.
Thus, this brings us to whether or not consumption could be ethical under capitalism. If no labor is ethical, then it stands that consumption of goods under unethical labor cannot be ethical either, as the consumer is only contributing to said labor.
Soooo, ta da!
Hope you guys enjoyed this. By the way, I somehow got views on my last few articles. Where tf are people finding my stuff??
Ok, I do hope that my miraculous new readers enjoyed this though, and if I was wrong about any part please feel free to correct me.
