Download This PaperCoercion, Fraud, and What is Wrong with Blackmail
59 Pages Posted: 6 Feb 2017
Date Written: February 3, 2017
Abstract
Several theorists argue that blackmail is morally wrong because the blackmail proposal is coercive. These coercion-based views are promising but incomplete. A full explanation of blackmail’s immorality must address both the blackmail proposal and the blackmail agreement. I defend what I call the complex account, on which blackmail is morally wrong because blackmail proposals are coercive and blackmail agreements are fraudulent. The complex account avoids difficulties that beset other coercion-based views and provides a stronger case for why blackmail should be criminalized.
Keywords: Blackmail, Criminal Law, Coercion, Fraud
JEL Classification: K14
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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