Shields, Liam. (2012) The Prospects for Sufficientarianism. Utilitas, Vol.24 (No.1). pp. 101-117. ISSN 0953-8208

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Principles of sufficiency are widely discussed in debates about distributive ethics. However, critics have argued that sufficiency principles are vulnerable to important objections. This article seeks to clarify the main claims of sufficiency principles and to examine whether they have something distinctive and plausible to offer. The article argues that sufficiency principles must claim that we have weighty reasons to secure enough and that once enough is secured the nature of our reasons to secure further benefits shifts. Having characterized sufficientarianism in this way, the article shows that the main objections to the view can be avoided; that we can examine the plausibility of sufficiency principles by appealing to certain reasons that support a shift; and that we should be optimistic about the prospects for sufficientarianism because many of our strongest reasons seem to be of this sort. This shift, I claim, is the overlooked grain of truth in sufficientarianism.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Philosophy
Journal or Publication Title:	Utilitas
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
ISSN:	0953-8208
Date:	March 2012
Volume:	Vol.24
Number:	No.1
Page Range:	pp. 101-117
Identification Number:	10.1017/S0953820811000392
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/44848

Request changes to a record

Actions (login required)

View Item