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Chapter 6 –- Justice (pp. 221-238)
Chapter 6 starts with a case study (pp. 221 – 222) entitled “The Oil Rig.” This study takes us to an
offshore oil rig on which the western workers are treated and compensated much better than the third
world native workers in whose country’s water the rig sits. It raises questions of justice.
Article: “Distributive Justice” by John Rawls (pp. 222 – 232)
The American philosopher John Rawls is renowned as a modern social contract theorist. This article
is an excerpt from Rawls’ book by the same name, Distributive Justice.
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Article: “The Entitlement Theory” by Robert Nozick (pp. 232 238)
Nozick’s starts this article with the basic belief he is going to expound upon, that “the minimal state is
the most extensive state that can be justified.”
How should things be distributed in an ideal society for Nozick? He gives us his entitlement
principles on page 233.
“A person who acquires a holding in accordance with the principles of justice in acquisition is entitled
to that holding.” Further, “a person who acquires a holding in accordance with the principle of justice
in transfer, from someone else entitled to the holding, is entitled to the holding.” And lastly, “no one
is entitled to a holding except by repeated applications of 1 and 2” (the above).
As you can see, Nozick is not in favor of the government interfering with trade between persons.
The problem that arises for Nozick is the recognition and the correction of injustice, especially past
injustice. It appears that he recognizes that this problem is one that is virtually impossible to cure
theoretically.
He raises several criticisms of socialism — they can best be described as a “free choice” criticism
(anyone will likely choose different things than someone else), a “needs vs. wants” criticism (when I
have to get something I need, it has a different value than something I want), a private economy
criticism (I will create and trade new things I make by my own efforts), and an “interference”
criticism (government would have to constantly interfere with private decisions to keep everything
exactly equal).
Discussion Questions
1. The University you attend has two dining rooms, one for faculty and staff and one for
students. One day a professor invites you to lunch and you notice that everything seems better
in the faculty/staff dining room – the food, the accommodations, the view, the service, and the
prices. Is the faculty entitled to this better treatment?
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2. Your University has a limited number of single rooms in its residence halls. Both you and
your roommate would prefer a single room and are on the waiting list for one. Single rooms
cost more. You can afford a single room, but your roommate cannot. On the basis of being
able to afford it, you get the single room that your roommate declined for financial reasons. Is
this distribution of rooms fair?
3. Thomas Jefferson is often quoted as having said, “That government is best which governs
least.” Do you agree with this quote, why or why not?
Resources for further study — Film, Literature, and the Web:
University of Washington, Washington “What’s Fair?”
http://faculty.washington.edu/jwilker/202/RawlsNozick.htm (June 1, 2007)