Labor and Inalienable Rights

Language philosopher Bry Willis ksDavid Ellerman's argument that the modern employment contract is fundamentally flawed because it attempts to treat human agency as a transferable commodity. Using a legal analogy involving a crime, he demonstrates that while physical objects like vans can be alienated, a person’s responsibility for their actions cannot be surrendered to another. This perspective draws on Enlightenment principles regarding inalienable rights, specifically citing the work of Francis Hutcheson and Martin Luther to support the idea that decision-making power is inherently part of the individual. Ellerman contends that capitalism masks this reality by framing the "renting" of people as a natural economic function rather than a form of servitude. Ultimately, the source calls for a re-evaluation of economic structures to align them with the fact that human labour and accountability are personally inseparable from the worker.👉 https://brywillis634737.substack.com/p/the-absentee-landlord