Justice
Distributive Justice
Philosophy 10
Instructor: Phil Freneau
Should the strong be required to support the weak? How does society "distribute"
wealth among its members? These are the questions. There are three basic sides
to this issue. The permissive system entitles individuals to a subsistence
income supply for existing as a human. The puritan system requires that people
at least be willing to contribute to society in order to receive a subsistence
income. Finally, the Individual view holds the property rights of the individual
to be sacred: no one may forcibly deprive him of his goods. I will argue for the
last alternative.
Individualism is an extension of Locke's idea of property rights. An
Individualist believes each person owns his own life, the fruits of his labor,
and his property. No one may deprive him of these property rights. He is free to
act as long as his actions do not interfere with the property rights of others.
At this point it is important to define what money is. Money is an exchange of
value. Money has value because it represent labor, or value, one has created but
not yet used. Money in my pocket is what I have created but not yet consumed.
Money is not a natural resource; it does not grow on trees. Men can make money
by their physical or mental labor. Do I not, then, have full claim to my
earnings?
If A discovers a cure for AIDS; it surely was not solely a product of A.
Society's framework made the discovery possible: A had to build on previous
knowledge; she had to use a laboratory she probably did not own. All of thes ...