The role of responsibility in global distributive justice: an appraisal of the responsibility argument

Abstract

1.0 Global Distributive Justice In A Theory of Justice (TJ) Rawls follows the lead of Hume to claim that principles of justice are required to fairly distribute the benefits and burdens of social cooperation."Let us assume, to fix ideas, that a society is a more or less self-sufficient association of persons who in their relations to one another recognize certain rules of conduct as binding and who for the most part act in accordance with them. Suppose further that these rules specify a system of cooperation designed to advance the good of those taking part in it. Then, although a society is a cooperative venture for mutual advantage, it is typically marked by a conflict as well as an identity of interests. There is an identity of interests since social cooperation makes possible a better life for all than any would have if each were to live solely by his own efforts. There is a conflict of interests since persons are not indifferent as to how the greater benefits produced by their collaboration are distributed, for in order to pursue their ends they prefer a larger to a lesser share. A set of principles is required for choosing among the various social arrangements which determine this division of advantages and for underwriting an agreement on the proper distributive shares." TJ, p. 4 cf. Hume, D (1948 [1739-1740]). A Treatise Concerning Human Nature, Hafner Publishing: New York. Book III, Part II, Section ii The task for political philosophers is to determine what principles of justice ought to apply to the basic structure of that cooperative order in order to fairly regulate interaction. It is generally thought that these principles apply to either one of two different spheres - the political or the economic. Political principles of justice assign basic rights and duties while economic principles of justice specify when a distributive outcome can be considered just. Our concern here is with the economic sphere, that is, principles of distributive justice. In TJ Rawls argued for liberal egalitarian principles of distributive justice that he thought ought to apply at the domestic level of a self-contained society, considering only in passing what principles of distributive justice ought to apply across societies to humanity as a whole.