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Related Experiment Videos

Forget about equality.

Madison Powers

    Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal
    |June 1, 1996
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    This study argues that equality as justice distorts reasoning and has counterintuitive implications. An alternative distributive justice view better explains what egalitarians should value.

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    Area of Science:

    • Political Philosophy
    • Social Justice Theory

    Background:

    • The concept of justice is frequently equated with equality.
    • A central debate in political theory concerns 'equality of what?'.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To critically examine the ideal of equality in theories of justice.
    • To propose an alternative framework for distributive justice.

    Main Methods:

    • Conceptual analysis of egalitarian theories.
    • Argumentation against the coherence and implications of equality as a primary principle of justice.

    Main Results:

    • The ideal of equality distorts practical reasoning.
    • Egalitarian principles lead to counterintuitive outcomes.
    • An alternative view of distributive justice offers a superior account of egalitarian concerns.
    Keywords:
    Analytical ApproachAristotleHealth Care and Public HealthPhilosophical Approach

    Conclusions:

    • The pursuit of equality as the sole principle of justice is flawed.
    • A revised understanding of distributive justice is necessary to capture core egalitarian values.