Lecture #3- Contemporary Inequalities and Social Justice in Canada Flashcards
Populism
Uses inequalities and discrimination to further divide society instead of focusing on the creation of new policies that work to close these gaps
Neoliberalism
Promoted the idea that those living in poverty reflected their own inability to contribute to the economic growth of society
Trickle-down theory
Promoted differences in income because it supported entrepreneurialism
The “Precariat”
Society is largely made up of the “precariat” which are those who are young and educated but unable to find jobs, those whose jobs no longer exist, or those who are minorities in the labour market (women, migrants, racial minorities etc.)
Homo crusoeconomicus
Shows our Western view of wealth and the idea that the more talented people will produce more than the less talented and each person will receive whatever they deserve
-describes how people often try to obtain wealth based on their individual efforts and success
Homo cooperativas
The idea that humans need cooperation and the help of others in order to be successful. Individual success is a myth because it is impossible to obtain all your resources without the help of others in some way (collective success)
Divisions of labour
Helps to split up the jobs within society to ensure that everyone is contributing in some way. If we all did the same things or tried to be good at everything, our society wouldn’t be able to function properly.
By dividing labour, people have the opportunity to specialize their skills and do things that are not essential to the function of society such as an author or an athlete. Without people to do other jobs like work in grocery stores or on farms, those people wouldn’t have the opportunity to focus on developing other skills.
Material and immaterial heritage
The idea that we are able to succeed now in the 21st century is because of the successes of our ancestors before us. Without their contributions, we wouldn’t be able to do any of the things we can now because we would be so focused on trying to survive
-Material heritage refers to things like houses, roads and infrastructure, while immaterial heritage refers to culture, languages, knowledge etc.
Cumulative cultural heritage
Refers to the idea that we are able to build upon where previous generations left off instead of starting over again because their knowledge was passed on to us
Immaterial heritage
- We do not all have the same access to immaterial heritage because it depends on where you are raised and the opportunities you have access to
- Talents can be developed but this is dependent on the material and immaterial heritage they had access to because some people are more privileged than others
Normative heritage
- The norms and rules that help to shape our society, regulate behaviour and the way that our society functions as a whole
- Libertarian’s oppose this normative heritage because they think that it interferes with their success rather than helps it
- We must be able to collectively agree upon societal norms that focus on benefiting everyone and not just individuals
Coordination norms
Help to make society run smoothly and consistently. It is in people’s best interests to obey these norms such as driving on the right side of the road
Cooperation norms
Can be hard to enforce because there are benefits to not following them. These norms can include murder, driving through a red light or littering. Everyone needs to agree on the norms and follow them if they are going to be effective
Normative conformism
When we choose not to do certain things or even consider them, even though there are opportunities because we know they are wrong. For example, if someone chooses not to steal something even though they know they could get away with it, they are displaying normative conformism
The fundamental attribution error
The idea that we have a tendency to attribute people’s success to their own personal talent and abilities rather than on their circumstances which often are a huge factor
