What Is Unfair about Unequal Brute Luck? An Intergenerational Puzzle

Area of Science:

• Political Philosophy
• Ethics
• Social Justice

Background:

• Luck egalitarianism posits that fairness requires mitigating disadvantages arising from brute bad luck, not from choices or desert.
• A key concern is the disadvantage faced by individuals born into less fortunate circumstances due to parental bad luck.
• The standard luck egalitarian account faces a dilemma when addressing the fairness of these disadvantages, particularly when parental choices are involved.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the fairness dilemma within luck egalitarianism concerning individuals disadvantaged by parental bad luck.
• To explore alternative philosophical frameworks that can resolve the identified fairness problem.
• To evaluate two proposed alternative views: one focusing on distributional effects and another on the brute luck itself.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical analysis of luck egalitarian principles.
• Examination of the implications of parental choices on distributive justice.
• Critical evaluation of existing and proposed solutions to the luck egalitarian dilemma.

Main Results:

• The standard luck egalitarian approach struggles to address the unfairness of disadvantages stemming from parental bad luck without creating new fairness issues, especially when parental choices are a factor.
• Two alternative views are presented: Shlomi Segall's proposal where unfairness of unequal brute luck depends on whether it increases or decreases overall inequality, and a view that considers brute luck itself unfair, irrespective of its distributional effects.
• Both alternative views offer potential resolutions to the luck egalitarian dilemma.

Conclusions:

• The dilemma highlights a significant challenge for standard luck egalitarianism in addressing intergenerational disadvantage.
• Alternative frameworks, particularly the view that unequal brute luck itself is unfair, offer promising avenues for a more robust theory of distributive justice.
• Further consideration is needed to fully develop and defend these alternative approaches to luck egalitarianism.