Deck 13: Economic Justice

Question 1

According to John Rawls in his A Theory of Justice , it is always unjust for some people to be very wealthy and others to be poor.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The method Rawls uses to derive principles for determining what social institutions are just is an appeal to an imaginary situation in which people would choose principles not knowing certain possibly biasing things about themselves.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

An "end state" view of economic justice is one that is concerned about how things turn out in terms of distribution of wealth in a society.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Rawls believes justice is to social institutions as

A) Money is to economics
B) Medicine is to hospitals
C) Taxes are to government
D) Truth is to scientific systems

Question 5

In 2004 women's income

A) Surpassed men's income
B) Was above 80% of men's income
C) Became virtually equal for professional men and women
D) Among physicians was about 60% as much as the male physicians

Question 6

Distributive justice has to do with

A) How justice is divided within a society
B) How goods are allocated among persons
C) How likely one is to get a fair trial
D) A major in college

Question 7

A libertarian conception of economic justice relies on notions of a negative right (a right not to be interfered with), while a socialist conception stresses a positive right (a right to have basic necessities).

Question 8

To suggest that Tom has a right to the money that is earned as a result of his innovative idea comes under which form of ethical reasoning?

A) Utilitarianism
B) Natural law
C) Categorical imperative
D) Relativism

Question 9

All of the following are reasons an economy fails to embrace meritocracy except

A) Wealth or position are inherited
B) Educational systems are not equal
C) Scholarships tend to go the brightest people
D) People in power tend to promote others more like themselves

Question 10

The people in the original position in choosing behind a "veil of ignorance" do not know any biasing things about themselves but do know that they would want what any person would want.

Question 11

According to a process view of economic justice, a social distribution of wealth is just if and only if the disparities in wealth are due to differences in merit, achievement, or contribution.

Question 12

According to Mackinnon poor people are more likely to be obese than people who are well off because

A) Poor people are unlikely to buy gym memberships
B) Carrots and orange juice are more expensive than chips and soda
C) Well off people work harder
D) Poor people are not likely to understand nutrition

Question 13

To suggest that allowing people to earn as much money as they can because doing so gives people incentive to be maximally productive comes under which form of reasoning?

A) Utilitarianism
B) Natural law
C) Categorical imperative
D) Relativism

Question 14

John Rawls derives his principles of justice by asking what principles people who are concerned about the welfare of others would choose.

Question 15

According to Rawls's maximin principle for decision-making under ignorance, people will choose that society with the least gap between the rich and the poor.

Question 16

Rawls's second principle of justice requires that an inequality in goods in a society is just provided that the people have merited what they have.

Question 17

Libertarians typically hold a process view of justice rather than an end state view.

Question 18

In Rawls' experiment of original position, the people most likely to choose Society A are

A) Risk takers
B) People with a lot of money
C) Old souls
D) People who believe in karma

Question 19

Which statement is not true of the income in 2005?

A) All of the gains went to the top 10%
B) The bottom 20% experienced a decline in income
C) The top 50% experienced after tax gains
D) The bottom 90% experienced income loss

Question 20

Which set of words best completes the following sentence: The morality of inequality of opportunity is a(n) _______ ethical concern, while the morality of inequality of outcome is a(n) ________ ethical concern?

A) Natural law, relative
B) Categorical imperative, natural law
C) Natural law, utilitarian
D) Utilitarian, relative

Question 21

Label as End State (E) or Process (P) views of justice A just society must prevent people from unjustly acquiring wealth.

Question 22

Label as Characteristic of a Libertarian (L), Socialist (S) or Liberal (LL) position (In some cases more than one answer is right--give all which are right): Process view of justice

Question 23

Label as considerations of Efficiency (E), Liberty (L), Freedom (F), or Welfare (W) Societies must maintain economic systems that work well to maximize the production of goods and minimize costs.

Question 24

Label as End State (E) or Process (P) views of justice Inequality of wealth in a society is just only if people have equal opportunity to attain the positions to which the wealth is attached.

Question 25

Contrast socialist and libertarian outlooks with regard to their views on whether distributive justice should be determined by process or end state views.

Question 26

Label as Characteristic of a Libertarian (L), Socialist (S) or Liberal (LL) position (In some cases more than one answer is right--give all which are right): Positive rights

Question 27

Label as Characteristic of a Libertarian (L), Socialist (S) or Liberal (LL) position (In some cases more than one answer is right--give all which are right): Liberty rather than freedom

Question 28

Label as considerations of Efficiency (E), Liberty (L), Freedom (F), or Welfare (W) Governments should not interfere in people's lives to prevent them from doing what they want or choose to do.

Question 29

Label as End State (E) or Process (P) views of justice Just societies must satisfy the basic needs of all their members.

Question 30

When, according to John Rawls, are economic inequalities justified?

Question 31

Explain Rawls's second principle of justice (that part referring to equality of opportunity).

Question 32

Label as considerations of Efficiency (E), Liberty (L), Freedom (F), or Welfare (W) All persons as human have a right to the basic necessities of life.

Question 33

Label as Characteristic of a Libertarian (L), Socialist (S) or Liberal (LL) position (In some cases more than one answer is right--give all which are right): Negative rights

Question 34

Label as considerations of Efficiency (E), Liberty (L), Freedom (F), or Welfare (W) Liberty or Freedom: this is a good that can be achieved only if people have effective means to achieve what they want.

Question 35

Label as Characteristic of a Libertarian (L), Socialist (S) or Liberal (LL) position (In some cases more than one answer is right--give all which are right): End state view of justice

Question 36

Label as End State (E) or Process (P) views of justice If some in a society have greater wealth than others this is just only if the difference is due to the fact that those with more have worked harder for it.