Exchanging for Reasons, Right and Wrong

Excerpt

In discussing the moral limits of markets, one primary concern is whether exchanging (including paying) for certain sorts of goods and services transforms the good or service being exchanged, either in kind or moral character. Sandel¹ and Anderson² maintain that certain goods and services transform when they are part of an exchange. They have one set of properties when given freely (i.e. without receipt of some valuable consideration) and a different set of properties when given as part of an exchange. For some subset of these transformative goods, it is morally permissible to give them freely, but impermissible to give them in exchange for valuable consideration. One goal of this account is to provide an illustration of the differences in giving freely and exchanging even to those who are skeptical about transformative commodities; even if commodities do not transform, the moral permissibility of the act may still change. …