4 Ways Inequality Harms Society
In a recent TED blog post, Harvard Prof. T.M. Scanlon lays out four ways, based on philosophical literature, that inequality harms society. They are:
- Economic inequality gives the haves too much power and control over the have nots, for example through the control of media or other industries
- Inequality can corrupt political institutions (…need I say more on this point?)
- Economic inequality undermines equal opportunity
- Workers whose work counts toward national income deserve a fair share of what they have produced
These points are based on certain moral principles put forward by Peter Singer and others, including the following:
- we must make the poor better off
- every life has equal importance
- we must cooperate with our fellow humans in morally acceptable ways
- the economic system itself must be justifiably fair to those who are worst off, and include them in competition and other activities
Clearly, our work is cut out for us: not only do we need to initiate actions that will restore equality for individuals, we also need to transform the economic system for more fairness. Previously, I wrote about The Next System, which outlines some ways to get us there. Another important way, is through Alchemus Prime’s win-win approach, which ensures that everyone, including Mother Earth, benefits from our actions.