GARRETT CULLITY

UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

This paper addresses the question how, as individuals, we ought to think about the morality of the decisions we make as consumers. There have always been some decisions to buy things which have called for moral evaluation. If you murder my neighbour for the sake of his property and then try to sell it to me, to accept your offer would be to participate in the crime myself, as well as reward you for it. Nowadays, however, we are continually being exhorted to pay attention to the economic interrelatedness of actions around the world, and the way in which consumption decisions taken in one place can produce good or bad effects elsewhere. In the simple example just mentioned, it seems clear enough that I should not buy morally tainted goods. But just what is morally tainted? Where does our responsibility as consumers begin and end? And what ought we to do about it?

(To be presented at Philosophy in the Pub, Sun. 14th September 2008.)