Can rentiers be ethically justified?

Adam Smith, John Maynard Keynes, even Ayn Rand (yes, that Ayn Rand) had no use for people who exploit economic rent.

Turns out, nobody likes rentiers (except maybe rentiers).

Image by AD_Images from Pixabay

The idea that ethics has something to say about economics is no longer a novel idea amid global discontent about inequality. Simply put, ethical inquiry asks what — if any — good exists in a practice…