Abstract

The aim of the essay is to stress the possibility of a theory of exploitation within the liberal framework. Three theories of exploitation are presented and discussed: exploitation as taking unfair advantage from someone else's labour, exploitation as disparity of value, and exploitation as wrongful use of human beings. The suggestion is to distinguish between exploiting a person and exploiting a situation, and to put the latter as a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for the former. In conclusion, the essay proposes a new definition of exploitation coherent with our linguistic habits and moral evaluations.