l To distribute goods and services fairly, protecting everyone’s right to equal opportunity and bettering the lives of all members of society (liberalism: Rawls) l To protect the right to own that which one is entitled to (libertarianism: Nozick) l To foster a sense of community rather than individualism (communitarianism: Sandel) What Is the Purpose of Government?

John Rawls: Justice as Fairness l All citizens should share in a society’s wealth and be given equal economic opportunities l In a just society, rational individuals under a veil of ignorance about their original position in the society should endorse a theory that: l gives everyone as much liberty as possible l allows for the unequal distribution of wealth only when the existence of such inequalities benefits everyone and is accessible to everyone

u We are entitled to use our property as we see fit. The State’s legitimate power is limited to preventing harm and protecting property rights u Taxation for anything other than protection (e.g., to impose a pattern redistributing wealth) is unjust because it ignores how goods are acquired fairly through trade, labor, gifts, etc. Libertarianism (Entitlement/Minimal State Theory): Robert Nozick

Communitarianism: Michael Sandel u We do not form governments to promote our individual self-interests; such a view treats our sense of community only instrumentally (Hobbes) or sentimentally (Rawls) u The purpose of government is to encourage us to recognize how we are constituted in our communal relations to one another