| Front | Back | | --- | --- | | What is the key difference between distributive justice and commutative justice? |

Distributive justice concerns the fair allocation of resources, opportunities, and burdens across society as a whole.
Commutative justice concerns fairness in one-to-one exchanges, such as whether a transaction or wage is fair.

| | What is John Rawls's difference principle, and how is it justified? |

Difference principle: Economic inequalities are permitted only if they work to the maximum benefit of the least advantaged members of society.
Justification: Rational agents choosing behind a veil of ignorance would choose this to protect themselves against the worst possible outcomes.

| | What is Robert Nozick's entitlement theory of justice, and what is his objection to redistributive taxation? |

Entitlement theory: A distribution is just if it arises solely from legitimate acquisitions and voluntary transfers, regardless of the final pattern.
Objection: Redistributive taxation is unjust because it violates self-ownership, amounting to a form of forced labour.

| | Compare patterned and unpatterned theories of distributive justice. Identify their key point of disagreement. |

Patterned theories (e.g., Rawls) require the final distribution of goods to match a specific template or moral principle.
Unpatterned theories (e.g., Nozick) hold that a distribution is just based purely on the history of how it came about, not its final shape.
Disagreement: Patterned theories require constant state interference with individuals' free choices to maintain the pattern.

| | What is the utilitarian approach to distributive justice, and what is a major objection to it? |

Utilitarian approach: Resources should be distributed to produce the greatest overall happiness or well-being across society as a whole.
Objection: It can justify sacrificing or enslaving a minority group if doing so increases the total happiness of the majority.

| | How does Amartya Sen's capabilities approach critique resource-based theories of distributive justice? |

Critique: Equal distribution of resources (like income) does not produce equal freedom because individuals face different physical and social obstacles.
Alternative: Justice must focus on what people can actually do and be (their capabilities), rather than just what they own.

| | What is Martha Nussbaum's view on central capabilities, and what does it require of a just society? |

View: There is a defined list of central capabilities essential for human dignity, including bodily integrity, health, and practical reason.
Requirement: A just society must secure a minimum threshold of each capability for every citizen.

| | What is Karl Marx's critique of distributive justice under capitalism? |

Critique: Capitalist distribution reflects class power relations rather than moral desert.
Exploitation: The market's "just wage" is a mask for exploitation, as capitalists appropriate the surplus value created by workers.
Post-capitalist principle: True justice requires distribution based on the principle "from each according to ability, to each according to need."

| | What is Susan Moller Okin's feminist critique of mainstream theories of distributive justice? |

Critique: Mainstream theories overlook the gendered division of labour within the household.
Argument: By ignoring unpaid domestic care work, these theories mask deep structural injustices that leave women economically vulnerable after divorce.

| | What is retributive justice, and how does Immanuel Kant justify it? |

Retributive justice: A backward-looking theory holding that wrongdoers deserve punishment proportional to their offence to restore moral balance.
Kant's justification: Punishing the guilty is a categorical imperative; failing to punish treats the offender as a non-rational object rather than a responsible moral agent.

| | How does Hegel justify punishment within a retributive framework? |

View: Crime is a negation of right, and punishment is the "negation of the negation" that restores right.
Argument: Punishment is a logical correction that honours the criminal as a rational being by treating their crime as a free choice with consequences.

| | How does the philosophical position of determinism challenge retributive justice? |

Challenge: Retributive justice assumes that offenders have free will and chose to act wrongly.
Implication: If determinism is true (all actions are caused by prior factors like biology or environment), offenders cannot be held morally blameworthy, destroying the basis for retribution.

| | What is Jeremy Bentham's utilitarian theory of punishment, and what are its primary justifications? |

Theory: Punishment is inherently an evil because it inflicts suffering; it is only justified if it prevents a greater future harm.
Justifications: Deterrence (general and specific), incapacitation, and rehabilitation.

| | State one strong objection to the utilitarian justification of punishment through deterrence. |

Objection: It can justify disproportionate punishment (or even punishing the innocent) if doing so effectively deters others.
Kant's critique: It treats the offender merely as a tool or means to achieve a social goal, violating their human dignity.

| | What is the rehabilitative theory of punishment, and what is one common objection to it? |

Theory: Punishment should reform the offender and address the social or psychological causes of their crime (e.g., Norway's Halden Prison).
Objection: It treats offenders as sick patients to be "fixed" rather than rational agents, and places no clear limit on state intervention in the name of treatment.

| | What is Howard Zehr's theory of restorative justice, and how does it differ from retributive and utilitarian models? |

Theory: Justice should focus on repairing the harm caused to victims, offenders, and communities.
Difference: It prioritizes collective dialogue and healing over state-administered punishment (retributive) or future social utility (utilitarian).

| | State two objections to the practical application of restorative justice. |

It is inappropriate for severe crimes (e.g., sexual violence) where power imbalances prevent safe, genuine dialogue.
It can lead to inconsistent outcomes, violating the legal requirement of predictability and equality before the law.

| | What is Michel Foucault's critique of the modern prison system in Discipline and Punish? |

Critique: The shift to imprisonment is not humanitarian progress but a more efficient form of disciplinary power.
Mechanism: The prison system (exemplified by the panopticon) serves as a mechanism of social control that trains citizens to constantly monitor and regulate themselves.

| | What is the core position of prison abolitionists, and what do they advocate instead of incarceration? |

Position: The prison system is a coercive institution that disproportionately targets marginalized groups and fails to address the root causes of crime.
Alternative: Dismantle the penal system and replace it with community-based responses to harm.

| | While John Rawls argues that economic inequalities are only just if they benefit the least advantaged, Robert Nozick defends an entitlement theory where any distribution is just if it arises from voluntary transfers. | While John Rawls argues that economic inequalities are only just if they benefit the least advantaged, Robert Nozick defends an entitlement theory where any distribution is just if it arises from voluntary transfers. | | The capabilities approach, developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, argues that justice requires ensuring each person has the capability to achieve a decent life, rather than just distributing resources. | The capabilities approach, developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, argues that justice requires ensuring each person has the capability to achieve a decent life, rather than just distributing resources. | | Under Kant's retributivism, punishing the guilty is a categorical imperative, which means it is a moral duty that must be carried out regardless of the consequences. | Under Kant's retributivism, punishing the guilty is a categorical imperative, which means it is a moral duty that must be carried out regardless of the consequences. | | Foucault uses Bentham's concept of the panopticon to illustrate how modern institutions exercise disciplinary power through the constant possibility of surveillance. | Foucault uses Bentham's concept of the panopticon to illustrate how modern institutions exercise disciplinary power through the constant possibility of surveillance. |

1. Being human6 subtopics

2. Aesthetics3 subtopics

3. Epistemology3 subtopics

4. Ethics3 subtopics

5. Philosophy of religion3 subtopics

6. Philosophy of science3 subtopics

7. Political philosophy3 subtopics

8. Social philosophy3 subtopics

9. HL extension: Philosophy and contemporary issues3 subtopics

10. Prescribed philosophical texts12 subtopics

IB Philosophy 7.2.2 Distributive Justice, Retributive Justice, and Punishment Flashcards