What is the role of the “veil of ignorance” in Rawls’ theory of distributive justice?
What is the role of the “veil of ignorance” in Rawls’ theory of distributive justice?
These are individually prepared assignments that will not be shared with the class, but will be sent to your instructor. These assignments should be between 2 and 4 screens, and should be the product of careful thought and more than one draft. Please remember that ethics is not a black and white study–there are no right answers, just answers that are well-reasoned and well-argued, supported by logical and relevant principles, ideas and arguments, and answers that discuss as thoroughly the arguments against the conclusion as those for the conclusion. For example, you might have a very strong opinion on the ethics of affirmative action. However, merely stating that affirmative action is wrong or right or good or bad will not be sufficient. Instead, your opinion and conclusion must be supported by a carefully constructed ethical argument utilizing the ethical theories studied (utilitarianism, egoism, libertarianism, Rawlsianism) as support, as explanation and as a means of validating what would otherwise be merely a gut reaction.
Documenting Sources
In most social science classes, you will be asked to use the American Psychological Association (APA) system for documenting sources. Documenting means showing where you got source information that’s not your own. Remember, a research paper blends your ideas with ideas and information from other sources. Documentation shows the reader what ideas are yours and what information and ideas you’ve taken from a source to support your point of view. For more information, see APA’s (http://www.apa.org) website and consult the organization’s style manual, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
Answer the following questions, drawing upon the assigned readings and resources and using specific examples from those readings and resources to illustrate and explain your thoughts. In answering these questions, please follow this format:
–write out the question and then provide your response.
–when you reference (name) a theory, cite your source using the APA in–text citation style.
–you must cite sources and provide bibliographic reference at the end of the assignment. For an example of how to format this correctly, go to the Course Information module, click on the Syllabus document, and then Course Readings and Materials and see the correct style for the textbook. The Shaw & Barry text is your primary resource in this course.
Assigned questions:
1.Shaw and Barry distinguish two different forms of utilitarianism. What are these two forms. Briefly describe each and use examples.
2.What do economists mean by the “declining marginal utility of money”?
3.Robert Nozick presents his entitlement theory as a function of three basic principles. What are these three basic principles? What ethical theory are these principles most closely aligned with?
4.Two main features of John Rawls’s theory of distributive justice are particularly important. What are these two features? Describe them.
5.What is the MAXIMIN rule for making decisions?
6.What is the role of the “veil of ignorance” in Rawls’ theory of distributive justice?
7.According to Shaw and Barry, deciding what sort of economic arrangements would best promote human happiness requires the utilitarian to consider many things. What are the five considerations mentioned by Shaw and Barry?
Make sure that you have adequately dealt with all the subtleties of the particular theory. The answers to these questions can be found in the text but merely quoting from the text or paraphrasing the text will earn minimal credit–the answers should be in your own words and should involve some explanation and discussion of what these concepts mean.
USE ONLY THE SHAW & BARRY BOOK FOR REFERENCE.
Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Chapter 2 Chapter 1 Text info page
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