Justice & Injustice - Lec 5 Flashcards

Question

Robert Nozick - Equality in liberalism

Answer 1

Formal equality all citizens are equally eligible for all positions in accordance with their abilities, simply by virtue of the fact that they possess citizenship within a particular nation; impartiality, and consistency are key factors. But his examples presume a level of material security that his theory does not promise (the 1970s ‘Wilt Chamberlain’ example). Might every person attending a basketball game were asked to put an additional 25c into a box to go to Wilt Chamberlain, in addition to the ticket? Most people would do this just to see Wilt play. Relatively small sum voluntarily given. But is it unfair to all other pro basketball players? The choice to give this extra money presumes a level of material security.

Answer 2

Inequality inevitably exists in society, and therefore, people should not be advantaged or disadvantaged through ‘accident of birth’. Instead, prospects should rest on effort and abilities. His theory includes the ‘difference principle’ that differential treatment is justified where it is to the benefit of the worst off – but is this enough to redress differences in distribution of life chances? Redistribution to enable all members of society to participate equally

Answer 3

Assumes everyone can succeed Accepts that people can start from different levels, as long as there has been some redress to those who are worse off Those who don’t have only themselves to blame Success and failure are individualised As a result, inequality is seen as justified (because of personal choice), or at least inevitable.

Answer 4

Success and failure are premised on individual achievement (merits) – rather than inherited status Those who have talent and who work hard will be rewarded Those who do not get rewards, must accept their inequality because they had the same opportunities.

Answer 5

Do we all have the same opportunities? Is it all about individual effort? We can see differences in opportunity between rural and city populations; eg, university attendance We use ideas of sameness to create policies (such as education), but ‘natural differences’ to justify inequalities that result Eg, education standards; different levels of funding, different student bodies; non-English speaking students Failure is therefore individualised rather than socialised But has COVID challenged the narrative of individual responsibility to some extent We have seen how reliant we are on others for certain things during a lockdown (that we cannot choose).

Answer 6

Idea of ‘under-employment’ – those who are in work, but are working fewer hours than they would like – challenges the idea of a lack of effort as a cause of poverty See also, there are currently 13 unemployed people for every job vacancy) Exclusion of unpaid care work in the home, mostly done by women, from the idea of ‘contribution’ to society much of the time Effects of historical racism on present-day Indigenous Australians or members of CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) communities Elimination of formal barriers to participation in society; there remains avariety of biases and practical barriers

Answer 7

The rich are useful; the poor are not If status, prestige, and wealth is a direct result of one’s abilities, then failure is a lack of these attributes ‘the poor are sinful and corrupt and owe their poverty to their stupidity’ We might ask ourselves how the pandemic has challenged some of these assumptions … If we think about essential workers in society; health workers, cleaners, delivery drivers, etc. Some have low-paid work in insecure employment; challenges the idea that the rich are useful, and the poor are not.

Answer 8

Rational and moral Rational: we have free will and can choose between ‘good’ which leads to social order, or ‘bad’ for which we are punished. Moral: learned from socialisation in society, accepting social rules and expectations.

Answer 9

‘Race’ as a concept was not commonly used until 18th century Reinforced by misapplications of Darwin’s theory of evolution (‘social Darwinism’), leading to eugenics – theories of racial superiority Ideas of eugenics underlay the White Australia policy and efforts to fragment Aboriginal Australians including through child removal What counts as a ‘race’ is fluid, historically and socially contingent Example: different approach to racial classifications in Brazil, compared to Apartheid-era South Africa. Race is a social/political concept, not a scientific one – minimal genetic difference between groups differentiated by race, and difference within groups can be equally significant. Culture is different altogether ‘Race is not a biological category that is politically charged. It is a political category that has been disguised as a biological one.’ (Dorothy Roberts, quoted on p. 49, Justice in society).

Answer 10

Criminalisation of sexuality – still common in many countries, often using laws inherited from British colonial regimes, or on religious grounds While female same-sex relations have not often been officially criminalised as male, in some countries, sexual assault to ‘cure’ women of being lesbian is common. Criminalisation of gender identity has emerged as an issue recently, where offences have been created to prohibit use of gender-based facilities (such as toilets) that are different to one’s gender designation at birth. Yet some societies formally or informally recognise more than one gender or allow people to move between genders. Medical intervention in intersex children without their consent is based on the idea that it is best for a person to be either male or female