ABSTRACT
Timo Airaksinen takes as paradigms of coercion situations as that of a mugger demanding money from a victim, of a mafioso running a protection racket, a policeman making an arrest, or a superior officer compelling obedience from a subordinate. Coercion in such cases is not a necessary evil, but a delicate but valuable bond between those involved in a collective enterprise for mutual good. There are both external and internal goods to which a student may expect to gain access: Externally, a student may, as a consequence of enduring our coercive influence, receive grades, certificates, degrees, and the access to other goods such as jobs or status that these enable. One must first provide an independent justification of a coercive institution and then demonstrate that a particular instance of coercion is in fact a proper function of such an institution.
