ABSTRACT
Apologists often respond to criticisms of monetary aspects of the City with some version of the argument from nature. It is said that venality is natural, that humans are by nature self-interested or rational. At a more sophisticated level, it is said that property, and its exchange value, money (and so venality) are natural to life in society, which is comprised by such relations. These defenses contain an ontological hierarchy: nature (description of facts) trumps politics (normative argument about the present, or for some future society). In the face of nature, as the apologist rarely needs to spell out, political criticism is a waste of time. From the perspective of the defense, the facts about human nature preclude normative criticism of the monetary aspects of our society. The “is” constrains the “ought”: because venality undeniably exists, the status quo is as justified as it possibly could be.
