LAW214 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Marginal Utility, Distributive Justice, Homo Economicus
15 Mar 2020
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Utilitarians believe that the wealth and resources should be distributed in whatever way conduces to maximum welfare. Some factors such as diminishing marginal utility of money may favour equality. High levels of social and economic inequality may benefit society by creating more wealth. Rawls objects to utilitarianism of the kantian ground that treating individuals as mere pawns whose interests can be sacrificed in order to achieve maximum happiness does not take seriously our plurality and distinctness". Rawls argues that the analogy is flawed and that it is wrong to extend a form of decision making that is rational for individuals to society as a whole. Nozick agrees with rawls on his point. Rawls two principles of justice: each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties, compatible with a similar system of liberty for all.
