Justice and Economic DistributionDavid Humphreys

Origins and Relevance Origins rooted in theories of Natural Law, in particular, the work of the social

contractarians: St. Thomas Aquinas (to a lesser extent)

“Lex iniusta non est lex.” Thomas Hobbes

The life of man before the social contract was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”

John Locke Attaches particular importance to: a) man’s right to resist the tyranny of unjust

authority, and b) man’s right to property. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

“Each of us puts his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will.”

The concept of the ‘Social Contract’ was highly influential in both the French and American revolutionary wars:

Declaration of Independence - “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The ‘Social Contract’ is generally considered to be the jurisprudential reference point for modern theories of distributive justice.

Top 1%36%

95-99 Percentile

28%

80-95 Percentile

24%

Bottom 80%13%

Distribution of US Wealth 2009

The Rawls-Nozick Exchange

John Rawls Egalitarian

Justice is fairness

What is just is to be determined by two principles:

1) Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive scheme of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar scheme of basic liberties for others.

2) Social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both a) reasonably expected to be to everyone’s advantage, and b) attached to positions and offices open to all.

Robert Nozick Libertarian

Justice is entitlement

The Veil of Ignorance and the Maximin Principle

Gain C1 C2 C3

D1 -£700 £800 £1,200

D2 -£800 £700 £1,400

D3 £500 £600 £800

The Problem of Beckham’s Millions

Objection Response