Interrogations for Equality Seminar Session 5. Wealth (re)distribution: Capital Grants

I first wonder whether equality of opportunity is enough. Though equal opportunity is an intuitively appealing ideal, it seems that the appeal only exists after we have all attained a certain threshold of well-being. I would argue that we have a duty of justice to ensure that nobody suffer very severe deprivation, even if we are quite sure that the sufferer is responsible for that deprivation. Suppose a citizen squanders her stake and is otherwise unable to meet her basic need. Suppose, in addition, that she is responsible for being in such dire need. It seems at least plausible that we ought to take steps to ease her suffering as a matter of justice, and not merely as a matter of charity. This suggests that there is a threshold beneath which we should not afford individuals the “freedom to fail.” It might also suggest that stakeholding is an appealing mechanism of redistributive justice (if at all) only after other comprehensive social services are already in place.