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I'm a free market guy, and I also agree with certain notions of contract law - like you cannot sign away your inalienable rights. You have those rights regardless.

Also, in order for a contract to be enforceable, there must be an exchange of value. I would agree with the validity of a non-compete clause if there was specific compensation tied to that. For example, "we'll give you $50,000 after you leave the company if you don't compete with us for a year." But tacking it onto an employment agreement, no.



Inalienable doesn't mean what you seem to think it does.


  inalienable: incapable of being alienated, surrendered,
  or transferred <inalienable rights> [1]
What the parent said sounds like pretty much the dictionary definition of inalienable to me?

[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inalienable


The original inalienable rights -- life, liberty, and happiness -- aren't inalienable because their transfer is prohibited by law, but because they're impossible by fact.

You can be denied of your life, your liberty, and/or your happiness. They cannot however be transferred to another person.

Your material possessions -- real estate, chattel property, intellectual property -- can be.

Again: the nature of inalienable rights is intrinsic, not protected by law.

You'll find that meaning supported in the definition you've provided.

(There's a whole 'nother discussion of rights-based arguments generally I won't get into, though I find the question somewhat problematic.)


Sure you can. There are plenty of examples in history of people voluntarily becoming a slave to other people because they have fallen into debt.


Transferring usufruct of your labour != transferring your life.




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