Material scarcity and scalar justice

Adams, Matthew; Mittiga, Ross

Abstract

We defend a scalar theory of the relationship between material scarcity and justice. As scarcity increases beyond a specified threshold, we argue that deontological egalitarian constraints should be gradually relaxed and consequentialist considerations should increasingly determine distributions. We construct this theory by taking a bottom-up approach that is guided by principles of medical triage. Armed with this theory, we consider the range of conditions under which justice (of any form) applies. We argue that there are compelling reasons for thinking that justice applies under a far broader range of conditions than is standardly supposed, including those that could sensibly be labelled as conditions of extreme rather than moderate scarcity.

Citation

Adams, M., & Mittiga, R. (2021). Material scarcity and scalar justice. Philosophical studies : an international journal for philosophy in the analytical tradition, 178(7), 2237-2256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-020-01539-3

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 8, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Sep 28, 2020
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Dec 19, 2024
• Print ISSN: 0031-8116
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 178
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 2237-2256
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-020-01539-3
• Keywords: Circumstances of justice, Material resources, Triage, Scarcity, Consequentialism, Egalitarianism
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-020-01539-3