PHIL 1010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Social Inequality

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL 1010
• Professor: Karyn Freedman

Document Summary

First principle: each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties (e. g. right to vote, run for office, free speech, due process, etc. ), compatible with a similar system of liberty for all. Everyone in society is untitled to basic rights in society. 1st argument for the difference principle: the intuitive equality of opportunity argument. Its not just certain kinds of social inequalities that are unfair there are factors about us that are morally arbitrary. He requires equality of opportunity, but denies that the people who fill the positions are thus entitled to a greater share of society"s resources. People only get more if they earn it and if they are not precluded from earning it because of morally arbitrary factors: race, ethnicity, gender, class, etc. It"s ok if someone earns more than another if everyone has an equal go at it which people do not get!