Economics and Philosophy:1-32 (forthcoming)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
This paper presents a new kind of problem in the ethics of distribution. The problem takes the form of several “calibration dilemmas,” in which intuitively reasonable aversion to small-stakes inequalities requires leading theories of distribution to recommend intuitively unreasonable aversion to large-stakes inequalities. We first lay out a series of such dilemmas for prioritarian theories. We then consider a widely endorsed family of egalitarian views and show that they are subject to even more forceful calibration dilemmas than prioritarian theories. Finally, we show that our results challenge common utilitarian accounts of the badness of inequalities in resources.
|
Keywords | inequality prioritarianism egalitarianism rank-weighted utilitarianism diminishing marginal utility calibration theorems risk aversion |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
DOI | 10.1017/s0266267121000298 |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
Equality or Priority?Derek Parfit - 2002 - In Matthew Clayton & Andrew Williams (eds.), The Ideal of Equality. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 81-125.
View all 37 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
No citations found.
Similar books and articles
Rank-Weighted Utilitarianism and the Veil of Ignorance.Jacob M. Nebel - 2020 - Ethics 131 (1):87-106.
Separating Marginal Utility and Probabilistic Risk Aversion.Peter Wakker - 1994 - Theory and Decision 36 (1):1-44.
Utility, Priorities, and Quiescent Sufficiency.Fausto Corvino - 2019 - Etica & Politica / Ethics & Politics 21 (3):525-552.
Some Groundwork for a Multidimensional Axiology.Alan Carter - 2011 - Philosophical Studies 154 (3):389 - 408.
Ambiguity Aversion Behind the Veil of Ignorance.H. Orri Stefánsson - 2021 - Synthese 198 (7):6159-6182.
The Ethics of Making Risky Decisions for Others.Luc Bovens - 2019 - In Mark D. White (ed.), Oxford Handbook of Ethics and Economics. Oxford University Press. pp. 446-473.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2021-09-30
Total views
286 ( #36,590 of 2,498,303 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
198 ( #2,766 of 2,498,303 )
2021-09-30
Total views
286 ( #36,590 of 2,498,303 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
198 ( #2,766 of 2,498,303 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads