There’s also the ‘karmic’ argument justifying wealth—those who help their fellows, as judged by the willingness of those fellows to trade wealth for the help, have fairly earned the wealth. Such help commonly comes from supplying goods or services, via trade. (Of course this assumes the usual rules of fair dealing are followed—no monopolist restrictions, no force, no fraud, etc.)
Regardless of what we think about the moralities of desert, the practical fact of the economists’ mantra—“incentives matter”—seems to mean we have little choice but to let those with the talents and abilities to earn wealth, to keep a large portion of the gains. Otherwise they won’t bother. Unless we want to enslave them, or do without.
I intended the karmic argument to be implicit in the negative space of the argument on ignoble origins of wealth :) To me it’s a matter of course that if you fairly trade with someone, you have moral claim to the wealth thereby earned!
There’s also the ‘karmic’ argument justifying wealth—those who help their fellows, as judged by the willingness of those fellows to trade wealth for the help, have fairly earned the wealth. Such help commonly comes from supplying goods or services, via trade. (Of course this assumes the usual rules of fair dealing are followed—no monopolist restrictions, no force, no fraud, etc.)
Regardless of what we think about the moralities of desert, the practical fact of the economists’ mantra—“incentives matter”—seems to mean we have little choice but to let those with the talents and abilities to earn wealth, to keep a large portion of the gains. Otherwise they won’t bother. Unless we want to enslave them, or do without.
I intended the karmic argument to be implicit in the negative space of the argument on ignoble origins of wealth :) To me it’s a matter of course that if you fairly trade with someone, you have moral claim to the wealth thereby earned!