What is distributive justice? - Do we have a duty to help others?

Consider the following case: Lara and Marit are two typical teenagers. Both aspire to have a happy and flourishing life. Despite that, Marit is going to live forty years more than Lara; Marit will also have, at least, seven times more resources than Lara during her lifetime. 

Marit will finish school and probably attend university while Lara has only 50% chances of attending elementary school. An these differences are only because Lara is Angolan and Marit is Norwegian*.

It looks as if Lara desperately needs more assistance than Marit to be able to have a happy and flourishing life. The alarming differences in opportunities between both teenagers can be understood as a problem of distributive justice. However, what we mean by distributive justice and consequently, how we plan to solve the problem can vary largely. 

• What is distributive justice?
• Is it an equal distribution of resources? Or, is it rather an equal distribution of opportunities or capabilities?
• Should justice be based on the distribution according to what we want or what we need?
• If everybody has their basic needs fulfilled but the society still keeps huge social and class differences, can we really say that we have achieved a just distribution?
• If the duties of distributive justice oblige me to help Lara, does that mean that I cannot help Marit even if I want?
• What is the difference between duties of distributive justice and charity? 

In philosophy there are many theories, traditions and philosophers who all answer these questions differently. Melina Duarte who is a PhD candidate at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Tromsø invites us to a discussion of some of these perspectives trying to deal with the most urgent political and philosophical questions of our time. Her main interest will be in the question of whether the duties of distributive justice are justified between people of the same group or country?

Place: Skarven bar
Date: 27. April 2013
Time: 11:15 - 13:15
This philosophical conversation will be in English. 

Everyone is welcome!

  

* This little story is based on the  available data of life expectancy, GDP per capita, and literacy of Norway and Angola.

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