Plant Relocations: A Philosophical Reflection

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Abstract
A philosophically satisfactory analysis of the plant relocation problem must resist an immediate move to the practical. Such "pragmatism" takes too much for granted. In order to counter the pragmatic temptation, I insist on raising certain moral questions that are natural to those affected by a plant closing. But to answer these questions, or even determine their legitimacy, moral philosophy is not enough. We must proceed to the theoretical question, what is the function of a capitalist in a capitalist society? This consideration suggests a noncapitalist economic model that would resolve the plant relocation problem. From this model, the viability of which is supported by the remarkable Mondragon experiment, we can deduce a series of general prescriptions for activists and a specific agenda for legislative reform. Only after this ground has been covered can the problem of a specific plant relocation be adequately addressed.

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