Abstract
Discrimination on the basis of race, sex, national origin, etc., is often morally wrong. But should such behaviour be proscribed by legislation, and penalized by fines or jail sentences? This paper argues that such enactments are incompatible with the law of free association, and with the concept of economic liberty and civil rights.
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Dr. Walter Block is Associate Professor of Economics, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester MA. 01610 and Adjunct Scholar at the Fraser Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia. A member of the British Columbia Association of Professional Economist, the Canadian Economic Association, the Canadian Association for Business Economics, he has worked in various research capacities for the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Tax Foundation, andBusiness Week. Dr. Block has published numerous popular and scholarly articles on economics. He is a regular contributor toThe Financial Post, and writes a syndicated column for Sterling newspapers. An economic commentator on national television and radio, he lectures widely on public policy issues to university students, service, professional and religious organizations. He is the editor of the Fraser Institute booksZoning: Its Costs and Relevance (1980),Rent Control: Myths and Realties (1981),Discrimination, Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity (1982),Taxation: An International Perspective (1984),Theology, Third World Development, And Economic Justice (1985),Morality of the Market: Religious and Economic Perspectives (1985),Reaction: The New Combines Investigation Act (1986),Religion, Economics and Social Thought (1986),Economics and the Environment: A Reconciliation (1989),Economic Freedom (1991),Breaking the Shackles (1991) and is the author ofDefending the Undefendable (1976),Amending the Combines Investigation Act (1982),Focus on Economics and the Canadian Bishops (1983),Focus on Employment Equity: A Critique of the Abella Royal Commissin on Equality (1985),The U.S. Bishops and their Critics: An Economic and Ethical Perspective (1986), andLexicon of Economic Thought (1988).
The author would like to thank an anonymous referee for numerous helpful, insightful and constructive criticisms. All remaining errors and infelicitous are of course his own responsibility.
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Block, W. Discrimination: An interdisciplinary analysis. J Bus Ethics 11, 241–254 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00872166
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00872166