Exploitation

The conventional definition of exploitation refers to someone taking unfair advantage of something or of other people. In other words, exploitation refers to the unequal social relationship in which A is taking advantage of B, or to the relationship between people and nature in which people deplete natural resources. Both definitions point to the fact that one side is disproportionately gaining, while the other side is losing. Exploitation is an essential characteristic of a market economy and depends on the understanding of fairness and choice and that market actors have to set preferences. Markets that are regulated by supply and demand thrive when there is competition. Competition forces businesses to exploit natural resources in order to extract maximum profits. Competition also enables capitalists to attract ...