Changes

[[Conservative]]s generally ascribe to the laissez-faire model of economic justice.  Generally, conservatives believe that it is "fair" if you get what you work for -- the harder you work, the more you earn.  To a conservative, it is not unjust if one person earns more than another, so long as both are free to reap the consequences of their own economic decisions without external interference.  Thus, [[economic inequalities]] are not seen as social ills to be overcome.   

[[Conservative]]s generally ascribe to the laissez-faire model of economic justice.  Generally, conservatives believe that it is "fair" if you get what you work for -- the harder you work, the more you earn.  To a conservative, it is not unjust if one person earns more than another, so long as both are free to reap the consequences of their own economic decisions without external interference.  Thus, [[economic inequalities]] are not seen as social ills to be overcome.   

For example, a person in Africa is born with nothing, works hard, saves, and starts a business.  However, the business never earns more than the equivalent of $10 a day.  A person in America is born into wealth, and his parents create a trust for him so that he is able to live a life of ease.  This is just, because there is no external government interference, and no violation of property rights.  However, if the government ''excessively taxes'' the working African, or someone ''steals'' from the wealthy American, this is considered unjust.

For example, a person in Africa is born with nothing, works hard, saves, and starts a business.  However, the business never earns more than the equivalent of $10 a day.  A person in America is born into wealth, and his parents create a trust for him so that he is able to live a life of ease.  This situation is just to a conservative, because there is no external government interference, and no violation of property rights.  However, if the government ''excessively taxes'' the working African, or someone ''steals'' from the wealthy American, this is considered unjust, because it violates their individual economic autonomy -- their right to keep what they earn.

[[Liberal]]s, on the other hand, generally ascribe to either an egalitarian or marxist models of economic justice.  Generally, they consider it unjust for people to have grossly unequal incomes.  Thus, it is ''unjust'' for the African above to work hard and have little, and for the wealthy American to have a lot.  Consequently, liberals advocate [[income redistribution]], in which the rich are taxed to support the poor, because it promotes income equality (a key element of economic justice) at the expense of individual economic autonomy, which they view as significantly less important.  Conservatives, on the other hand, consider income redistribution ''unjust'', because it interferes with an individual's economic autonomy (a key element of economic justice) in the name of income equality (irrelevant to economic justice).

[[Liberal]]s, on the other hand, generally ascribe to either an egalitarian or marxist models of economic justice.  Generally, they consider it unjust for people to have grossly unequal incomes.  Thus, it is ''unjust'' for the African above to work hard and have little, and for the wealthy American to have a lot.  Consequently, liberals advocate [[income redistribution]], in which the rich are taxed to support the poor, because it promotes income equality (a key element of economic justice) at the expense of individual economic autonomy, which they view as significantly less important.  Conservatives, on the other hand, consider income redistribution ''unjust'', because it interferes with an individual's economic autonomy (a key element of economic justice) in the name of income equality (irrelevant to economic justice).

[[Category:Economics]]

[[Category:Economics]]