Rethinking Coercion: Moving Beyond Moralized Accounts of Coercion

Authors

Lorenz N. Soukup, Bates CollegeFollow

Abstract

Coercion is often portrayed as a vile act, which is inherently immoral. Typical examples include blackmail or receiving an offer at gunpoint. Most contemporary theories centre around this characteristic immorality of coercion. In the following paper I will argue that coercion need not involve an immoral act. I will look at two distinctly different theories of coercion. On the one hand, a moralised account proposed by Jennifer Lackey and on the other hand, an account refraining from moralising coercion brought forward by Scott Anderson. The aim of this paper is not to define coercion but to motivate a shift in the way we understand coercion and how we use existing definitions of it.

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Recommended Citation

Soukup, Lorenz N. (2025) "Rethinking Coercion: Moving Beyond Moralized Accounts of Coercion," Bates College Journal of Political Studies: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://scarab.bates.edu/bjps/vol2/iss1/7