The Extent of Inequality in South Africa Is Immoral
“The extent of inequality in contemporary South Africa is immoral.”
Inequality can be simply be defined as the condition of being unequal. In contemporary South Africa today there is no doubt that, the population is faced with a high level of inequality. Throughout the world, particularly South Africa, there is a small minority of people who have the monopoly of wealth, while the majority are just getting by. Morality questions the unequal distribution of wealth by judging behaviour and people in terms of whether they meet the moral standard. In this essay, I will look at the egalitarian and utilitarian perspectives on distributive justice (focusing mainly on income distribution) to show that inequality in contemporary South Africa is immoral.
Inequality in South Africa
Firstly, a distinction needs to be made. People should be equal but this does not mean they should be the identical. Underneath the differences is a set of fundamental rules, which encourage the treatment of individuals as equal - who deserve the same concern and respect. (Gosepath, 2011). The question of equality is difficult because it concerned both prescriptive and descriptive concepts. Prescriptive equality in politics refers to a norm or a rule. Descriptive equality is necessary to identify whom the norms and rules apply to. When it comes to business ethics, we are concerned with: ‘what kind of equality, if any, should be offered, and to whom and when? (Gosepath, 2011) It is difficult in a situation like South Africa where history and particular circumstances have created a country that is asymmetrical, to identify when inequality is strictly and purposefully immoral. The apartheid system forced the majority of South Africa to be disadvantaged by law. People were unequal to one another based purely on their race. A black man and a white man with the same experience and qualifications would be compensated differently. The government ultimately resulted in the intensification of
Inequality can be simply be defined as the condition of being unequal. In contemporary South Africa today there is no doubt that, the population is faced with a high level of inequality. Throughout the world, particularly South Africa, there is a small minority of people who have the monopoly of wealth, while the majority are just getting by. Morality questions the unequal distribution of wealth by judging behaviour and people in terms of whether they meet the moral standard. In this essay, I will look at the egalitarian and utilitarian perspectives on distributive justice (focusing mainly on income distribution) to show that inequality in contemporary South Africa is immoral.
Inequality in South Africa
Firstly, a distinction needs to be made. People should be equal but this does not mean they should be the identical. Underneath the differences is a set of fundamental rules, which encourage the treatment of individuals as equal - who deserve the same concern and respect. (Gosepath, 2011). The question of equality is difficult because it concerned both prescriptive and descriptive concepts. Prescriptive equality in politics refers to a norm or a rule. Descriptive equality is necessary to identify whom the norms and rules apply to. When it comes to business ethics, we are concerned with: ‘what kind of equality, if any, should be offered, and to whom and when? (Gosepath, 2011) It is difficult in a situation like South Africa where history and particular circumstances have created a country that is asymmetrical, to identify when inequality is strictly and purposefully immoral. The apartheid system forced the majority of South Africa to be disadvantaged by law. People were unequal to one another based purely on their race. A black man and a white man with the same experience and qualifications would be compensated differently. The government ultimately resulted in the intensification of
Bibliography: 1. Arneson, Richard, "Egalitarianism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2009/entries/egalitarianism/>. 2. Driver, Julia, "The History of Utilitarianism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2009/entries/utilitarianism-history/>. 3. Gosepath, Stefan, "Equality", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2011/entries/equality/>. 4. Lamont, Julian and Favor, Christi, "Distributive Justice", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2008 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2008/entries/justice-distributive/>. 5. Rawls, J. (edited by Kelly, R) 2003. Justice as Fairness. London. Harvard University Press. 6. Seekings, J and Nattrass, N. 2005. Class, Race and Inequality in South Africa. United States of America. Yale University Program in Ethics. 7. Shaw, W. 2008, Ethics and Business. In Business Ethics, (Thomson: Wadsworth, 2008) pp. 122 – 140.