| Ethics & Morality A forum for the discussion and debate of ethics & morality open to all members. |
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6th November 2009, 11:32 AM
|  | Contributor
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Is it immoral to have a monopoly? Is it moral to punish a company for having a monopoly?
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6th November 2009, 11:45 AM
|  | Stater of the Obvious
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Reps: 107,530,782,595,026,160 (power: 107,530,782,595,034) | | Originally Posted by Wiccan_Child  Is it immoral to have a monopoly? Is it moral to punish a company for having a monopoly?
They're not inherently a bad thing, and are required in some instances (such as certain utilities). Monopolies are much more susceptible to exploitation, though, so careful monitoring is necessary.
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6th November 2009, 12:43 PM
|  | My solace my terror, my terror my solace.
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Reps: 27,354,533,772,047,632 (power: 27,354,533,772,065) | | | Having one? No. Abusing one for profits? Yes.
What exactly constitutes abuse? Heavily debated.
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6th November 2009, 01:07 PM
|  | well that was awkward...
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Reps: 1,425,232,465,392,338,944 (power: 1,425,232,465,392,368) | | | having a monopoly opens one up to corruption. If I'm the only one providing hot dogs on the corner and people really want hotdogs, what's stopping me from jacking my prices up to kingdom come? I'm already making a profit with what I'm selling my hotdogs for, so to jack up my prices is just being corrupt and abusing the people who buy from me.
Back in the day when Ameritech was the big kahuna in telephone companies, that is EXACTLY what they did. Anyone who wanted into the telecom business had to rent their lines through Ameritech and Ameritech would charge through the nose for the lines, which would dissuade companies from starting up. Ameritech regularly jacked the costs for phone services - they used to charge an extra $5 a month just to have touch tone instead of pulse!
Someone felt this behavior was immoral and they took Ameritech to court...and now we have many phone services options and many different prices to pay. It's a far better market.
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6th November 2009, 03:15 PM
|  | Senior Member
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Reps: 293,424,014,973,578,752 (power: 293,424,014,973,591) | | Originally Posted by Wiccan_Child Is it immoral to have a monopoly? Is it moral to punish a company for having a monopoly?
Board games are never immoral. (though monopoly does come close) 
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Kryton
Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain hights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings. How can life grant us boon of living, compensate for dull gray ugliness and pregnant hate unless we dare the soul's dominion? Each time we make a choice, we pay with courage to behold restless day, and count it fair.
Amelia Earhart |
6th November 2009, 03:19 PM
| | well that was awkward...
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Reps: 1,425,232,465,392,338,944 (power: 1,425,232,465,392,368) | | Originally Posted by Belk Board games are never immoral. (though monopoly does come close)
and now they have the monopoly games where you use a credit card, and the one where you can simply build nuclear power plants and destroy someone's cities!! (I think it's nuclear, but don't quote me on that. No, really, don't!!)
The HORROR!
Personally I prefer Hungry Hungry Hippos and Uno.
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Beckie
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Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6
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6th November 2009, 03:31 PM
| | Senior Member
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Reps: 293,424,014,973,578,752 (power: 293,424,014,973,591) | | Originally Posted by PreachersWife2004 and now they have the monopoly games where you use a credit card, and the one where you can simply build nuclear power plants and destroy someone's cities!! (I think it's nuclear, but don't quote me on that. No, really, don't!!)
The HORROR!
Personally I prefer Hungry Hungry Hippos and Uno.
Never played HHH, Uno is a good no brainer game.
For a really good time try settlers of Catan.  The Settlers of Catan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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No silicon heaven? Where would all of the calculators go?
Kryton
Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain hights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings. How can life grant us boon of living, compensate for dull gray ugliness and pregnant hate unless we dare the soul's dominion? Each time we make a choice, we pay with courage to behold restless day, and count it fair.
Amelia Earhart |
6th November 2009, 03:43 PM
|  | Senior Contributor
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| | Join Date: 5th December 2005 Location: New York
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Reps: 201,770,799,312,244,992 (power: 0) | | | Monopolies aren't inherently, but as mentioned, can result in an abuse of power. That danger is what makes it wrong. However, I don't think a monopoly on something relatively unimportant, like potato chips, is wrong. It's only an issue things we depend on, like a monopoly on cars, phones or the internet. |
6th November 2009, 04:25 PM
| | Senior Contributor
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Reps: 481,213,167,237,329,856 (power: 481,213,167,237,361) | | Originally Posted by Wiccan_Child Is it immoral to have a monopoly? Is it moral to punish a company for having a monopoly?
It's not immoral as such, but since a captialist economy relies on competition to work properly it needs to prohibit monopolies and cartels in most situtions and heavily regulate the situations where they are unavoidable.
If we weren't relying on competition to make the thing work then we wouldn't need to prohibit them.
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7th November 2009, 04:53 AM
|  | I So Hate Consequences!!!!
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Reps: 9,991,039,025,564,860 (power: 9,991,039,025,577) | | Originally Posted by Belk
Settlers is so gooooooooooooooooooooooooooood!
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