Single Idea 20148

[catalogued under 25. Social Practice / B. Equalities / 4. Economic equality]

Full Idea

It is useless to distribute insufficient resources equally, because the equal distribution of insufficient resources may result in the even worse outcome that no one's reasonable expectations are met.

Gist of Idea

Equal distribution is no good in a shortage, because there might be no one satisfied

Source

John Kekes (The Human Condition [2010], 01.5)

Book Reference

Kekes,John: 'The Human Condition' [OUP 2010], p.22


A Reaction

He gives a shortage of oxygen tanks as a persuasive example, but that is hardly typical of the sorts of things that we normally want to distribute.