On (Un)just Economic Inequalities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53098/wir012023/03Keywords:
justice, freedom, economic inequalities, meritocracyAbstract
Some economists are committed to the idea that we as a society are not responsible for the economic inequalities that result from countless independent market decisions made by autonomous self-interested individuals. Economists are also attached to the concept of the market as a mechanism that rewards the talented and hard-working. As the study shows, these two views on the effects of our market activity raise substantial ethical objections. A society with a legislative will is responsible for inequalities. The concept of rewarding talent and effort leads to unjust economic inequality. The myth of meritocracy, which functions in society, brings with it the erosion of community, the degradation of the common good, and the sense of responsibility for others, particularly for losers, while reinforcing economic inequalities.
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