Week 2 Flashcards
Virtue definition
A virtue is a trait of a character that is admirable
Excellence to fulfill one’s goals
Rights
a right is an entitlement to act or have others act in a certain way
Justice
often used to mean fairness or equal treatment
2 types of Justice
Procedural and Distributive
Procedural Justice
Is concerned with how fair is the process that leaders use to make decisions.
Sources of low procedural justice:
- Favoritism
- Unwillingness to listen or see other points of view
- Unwillingness to consider all information available.
Distributive Justice
Fair treatment of individuals in a given situation with the result that everybody gets what they deserve.
Utilitarian View on Distributive Justice
- The right action is the one that generates the largest amount of happiness for everyone. Based on social utility:
1. Greater equality of income- by making the income distribution more equal, there will likely be more happiness
2. Declining marginal utility of money- the more additions to a person’s income creates on average less happiness than earlier additions.
What is Robert Nozick’s view on rights (2)?
Libertarian:
Negative rights - A natural right not to be subducted to an action of another person (e.g. negative right to life)
Positive rights - A natural right to a certain action
Nozick’s views of economic justice:
Entitlement Theory - Individuals are entitled to their holdings (property, goods, etc.) once they have acquired them fairly
Laissez-faire markets
Libertarians believe in leaving the market regulations “just” (free) and unrestricted.
This is because, in their eyes, a regulated market would infringe on people’s liberty
Voluntary win-win trades
Problems with Laissez-faire markets
An unregulated market can lead to terrible results:
- Monopolies
- Absence of public goods (even if the country has it available)
- Inequality
Rawl’s theory of Justice
Rawl’s strategy is to ask what we would choose, if hypothetically, we were to meet for this purpose in what he calls the original position
The veil of ignorance
- If individuals didn’t know anything about their own circumstances and background, what principles would they endorse?
- They would want to endorse more primary social goods (income freedom, opportunities, etc…)
What are the 2 principles of Rawls?
2 principles:
1. Every person will have the same basic liberties (basic human rights)
2. Difference principle- social and economic inequalities are allowed, but only under 2 conditions.
- If they are to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged in society.
Attached to positions which are open to all under conditions of equality and opportunity.
What is Rawls maximin rule?
individuals will try to get the most primary social goods as possible in the worse case scenario.
