Instructor:
There are many things in life we value, and which it seems unproblematic to buy or sell: houses, sweaters, and ice cream, for example. But there are other things we value, which it seems impossible to buy or sell: love, moral goodness, or happiness, for example. And there are still others which we can buy or sell, but might think we should not: kidneys, sexual or reproductive labor, ideas, or spiritual goods, for example.
Students in this engagement will consider whether there is anything that it is either impossible or wrong to sell. We will focus on examples from a wide variety of domains and draw on readings from philosophy, religious studies, and fiction. Our aim throughout will be to understand more clearly the value of the particular goods in question and the role such goods might play in making our own lives good and meaningful.