What (if anything) Is Egalitarian about Luck Egalitarianism?

Authors

  • Jonas Franzen University of Bayreuth

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21814/eps.7.2.5219

Keywords:

conceptual clearance, genuine egalitarianism, distributive arbitrariness, arbitrary distributions, unjust equalities

Abstract

 

 This paper offers a novel taxonomy of luck egalitarianism with reference to the specific kinds of distributive arbitrariness a luck egalitarian might object to, namely ‘arbitrary disadvantage’, ‘arbitrary advantage’, and ‘arbitrary equality’. In doing so, it provides an instance of ‘conceptual clearance’, i.e., an attempt to restructure and reduce the vast number of accounts now accumulated under the label ‘egalitarianism’. By scrutinizing the three sets of luck egalitarianism identified beforehand, i.e., ‘simple’, ‘asymmetrical’, and ‘symmetrical’, it develops a novel minimal condition for a theory to qualify as genuinely egalitarian. While ‘asymmetrical luck egalitarianism’ satisfies this condition, ‘symmetrical luck egalitarianism’ does not. Both accounts are, for that reason, affected very differently by the (in)famous levelling down objection to egalitarianism and thus face distinct argumentative challenges and justificatory burdens. Therefore, the paper identifies an important structural divide within luck egalitarian thinking. As a matter of conceptual clearance, it proposes to view symmetrical luck egalitarianism as a form of ‘responsibilitarianism’ instead.

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Published

17-01-2025 — Updated on 17-01-2025

How to Cite

Franzen, J. . (2025). What (if anything) Is Egalitarian about Luck Egalitarianism?. Ethics, Politics & Society, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.21814/eps.7.2.5219

Issue

Section

Original Articles