Late 14c., "outcome of an action," from Old French esploit "a carrying out; achievement, result; gain, advantage" (12c., Modern French exploit), a very common word, used in senses of "action, deed, profit, achievement," from Latin
explicitum "a thing settled, ended, or displayed," noun use of neuter of explicitus, past ...
In modern times exploitation is rewarded with capitalistic gain, praise and the strong possibility of a statute ode to your contributions if you are extremely good at exploiting your fellow man.
A lot of humans may ask themselves. “How does this happen consistently within society?”
Well, this happens because capitalists, driven by profit, may seek to minimize labor costs, potentially paying workers less than the value they create. There are also the instances where corporations seek to gain more profits from unsuspecting patrons via dynamic pricing models, intentionally elusive policies and the list goes on.
Is this morally sound?
On the basis of morals, “Benefitting from another’s vulnerability is not always morally wrong—we do not condemn a chess player for exploiting a weakness in his opponent’s defence, for instance.” Stanford Exploitation Archive
This logic has allowed for corporations/ adept-nepotic capitalist to use the dollars gained from their predatory escapades to influence policies, regulatory bodies, and the like with intention of generating more dollars.
Sure, there are jobs created by these mega rich oligarchs, but the bottom line is that there are corners that are cut to generate profits and compete with fellow oligarchal constituents.
This very topic has been argued by many philosophers that may have already come to mind as the very context of this blog parallels with frameworks such as Karl Marx’s, Marxism and how Capitalism inherently leads to the exploitation of workers and communities for financial gain both economically and politically.
Exactly what is the best way to be just on account of economic and social advancements?
For the sake of time, I have no intention of dissecting our current state of government and historic and philosophical accounts that further highlight exactly who is being exploited, how and for what/who. However, this is merely an introduction to, Exploiting the Middle.
Rarely is exploitation admonished despite its implications and intent to gain at the expense of others. Oftentimes these “others” are unsuspecting members of society that are trying their best to keep their heads above water. Historically, this has been equated to endless constructs that dance around the objective reality of many humans under the guise of logic.
“Exploitation can also be harmful or mutually beneficial”. In terms of biology harmful exploitation that is not mutually beneficial would be considered parasitic, and mutually beneficial would be considered a mutualistic relationship.
Being that capitalism is a system that encompasses a relationship between two entities, no different than creatures within nature it requires objective analysis from the lens of cause and effect. Not a moral premise that dances around collective reality.
When a parasite utilizes a host for its nutrients the assessment of this occurrence is not whether or not there is unfairness, or moral rights being infringed upon but objective truth.
Does X, in fact cause Y?