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Nozick, Need and Charity
Author(s) -
RUSSELL PAUL
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of applied philosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.339
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1468-5930
pISSN - 0264-3758
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-5930.1987.tb00217.x
Subject(s) - entitlement (fair division) , obligation , law and economics , section (typography) , point (geometry) , property (philosophy) , property rights , law , economics , business , epistemology , political science , philosophy , microeconomics , geometry , mathematics , advertising
My discussion in this paper proceeds in four stages. First, I provide a brief description of Nozick's entitlement theory and I raise some general questions about it. Secondly, I argue, contrary to Nozick, that we are justified in distributing some goods on the basis of need. More specifically, I argue that we must distinguish between the claim that goods ought to be distributed on the basis of need and the claim that goods which are essential needs ought to be distributed on the basis of need. In the third section I consider the objection that such distributions will inevitably lead to the violation of individuals’ property rights. I argue that individuals are obliged to be charitable and that this obligation places limits on what they are entitled to. What charity requires of us, I maintain, we have no rights over and we must relinquish. In the fourth and final section I point out the general significance of these arguments.