Philosophy Colloquium

"Freedom of Associate: The Case for Mostly Open Border," George Rainbolt, Georgia State University. Reception will follow lecture.

What are the implications of freedom of association for immigration? Christopher Heath Wellman argues that freedom of association gives a state “the right to close its doors to all potential immigrants, even refugees desperately seeking asylum from incompetent or corrupt political regimes that are either unable or unwilling to protect their citizens’ basic moral rights.”  I argue that freedom of association gives individuals the right to immigrate to associate with those in other states who want to associate with them. I then argue that the second right outweighs the first, that freedom of association speaks for mostly open borders.