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Brian Van Dort Professor Brandon Heppard Ethics 27 June 2013 Economic Equality: Distributive Justice in America Dogmatically enveloped into the foundation of American culture, the economic system known as Capitalism, has with great fervor, become synonymous with concept of freedom. So much so, that capitalism is almost irreproachably associated with the nations identity. However, this is not surprising as the United States was the first sovereign nation to attempt the then radical notion of free markets and private ownership. And since her founding, she has consequentially effected the one of the most unprecedented socio-economic experiments in human history. Nevertheless, despite its proud foundation in American ideologies, Capitalism has become increasingly controversial, imploring the question of whether or not it is the best economic system for this nation. As the United States finds itself with such stark polarity in its socio-economic spectrum, the national economic system has begun to develop increasingly Socialist undertones. With political leaders striving to appease both classes, while maintaining an ethical perspective on distributive justice, we find our nation in a politically driven economic turmoil. However, through ethical introspection and diligent thought-experimentation, it is possible to establish if Capitalism is ethically the most beneficial system for this nation. Capitalism was first theorized by a Scottish moral philosopher named Adam Smith, whose initial drafts of the economic system resembled nothing of the transmogrified version we practice today. Despite capitalisms inherently libertarian footing, Smith was in fact a Utilitarian, believing that if his system proved ineffective, that society should establish a more beneficial one. His version of capitalism used capital as a system of voting. This implied that if a merchants product was superior to that of his competitors, then he himself would accrue more capital through increased business. The competitive nature between businesses drives the American entrepreneur to better his product so that it maintains preeminence over his rivals. However, Smiths Capitalism has been bastardized by corporatocracy and strategic oligopolies. True capitalism only works if the consumer possesses all the information on the product; total marketing transparency. However, Smiths Capitalism fails to account for malign side of human nature; which ultimately brought about oligopolies of massive corporations that work synergistically to impede the success of small business. To call the state of this nations economy bad is hardly objectionable, and perhaps an understatement, as Government payouts make up more than a third of total wages and salaries of the U.S. (Melloy, CNBC). It is needless to say that this capitally driven ideology has affected more than our economy, as our nations educational system is some of the most reproachable of any first world country. Perhaps, it is time that the United States takes on a more altruistic approach to its economy. Total socialism leads to a cold and despotic flow of goods throughout an economic system. Moreover, when each worker is afforded the same wage, it leaves little motivation for those who wish to ascertain more. However, socialism strives to fix the inadequacies of Capitalism by creating equal outcomes for ones actions; not one person is given more than anther, which putatively would make the distribution of wealth fair. For instance, in Capitalism there are people working as hard, if not harder

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than their collogues, and earning a lesser wage due to a lack of innate aptitude. Also, most of the social welfare in true Capitalism is left to private enterprises such as charities, leaving the distribution of aid to the few philanthropic members of society. However, the equal distribution of Socialism led to lethargic work ethics and stagnant economies, as people began to realize that their actions has little to no effect on their salary; a principle that blatantly rivals inherent human nature. Therefore, American philosopher John Rawl conducted a thought experiment to determine what the best economic system would be. He hypothesized a scenario where a group of prospective citizens of a nation were meeting to decide a just economic distribution; however, none of them knew to which class to which they were to be born, nor which innate skills they would hold. Because of the ambiguity regarding ones prospection, the citizens would be forced to create a system that would be fair to all. Following the Rawlian theories, a truly just economic distribution would be one that accounted for all socio-economic levels; harboring those who are unable to perform, and fostering those who are willing. True economic justice is merely theoretical, and only conceivable if everyone was insipidly identical. If humanity was captive to the same thoughts, and blighted by the same skills, it would only lead to a lackluster future. Luckily, we have all been blessed with distinct individuality, and only require the knowledge to cultivate it. Therefore, it is possible to create a society where everyone is given an opportunity to reach the pinnacle of their success; by affording everyone free education and the basic needs of survival. By assuring everyone a sound education, a persons success would be measured by the fortitudes of their will, and not the ability to pay for higher education. Much like the socio-economic system in Western Europe, citizens will pay high taxes to assure that they are afforded support in case they were unable to work, but the fulfilling qualities of private ownership would be still intact. This follows closely the ideas hypothesized in Rawls thought experiment, and closes the economic gap plaguing Americas social classes. Determining a perfect economic system for America may be a daunting task, but a Capitalist based economy with a socialist based welfare program may make the United States a more equal and economically just country to live in.