4.Do not waste time with unnecessary introductory or concluding formalities. Instead, compose a succinct and penetrating analysis.

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1.The Ture Cost website is in the last slide of the chapter 5’s PPT. 

2.Use at least two readings from chapter 5 (Book:Honest Work: A Business Ethics Reader. 3rd ed)

3.Restrict your analysis to a maximum of three pages (typed, double-spaced)

4.Do not waste time with unnecessary introductory or concluding formalities. Instead, compose a succinct and penetrating analysis.

onest Work

Chapter 5: Who Gets What and Why?

Fairness and Justice

First Paper Assignment

From the course site:

After reading chapter 5 and viewing the documentary The True Cost, compose an analysis of the justice of the fast fashion industry. Use at least two readings from chapter 5.

Restrict your analysis to a maximum of three pages (typed, double-spaced). Aim for depth over length. Do not waste time with unnecessary introductory or concluding formalities. Instead, compose a succinct and penetrating analysis.

Writing for Philosophy Assignments

Generally:

Answer questions, don’t ask them. The point of a philosophy assignment is to argue for a position.

Don’t use slang or colloquialisms. Also, know the meanings of the words you use. An idea which is simply written and clear is preferable to one which tries to use big words and fails.

Don’t make big general statements you aren’t prepared to defend. “There are a lot of different theories of justice out there.” These kinds of statements are either uninformative or indefensible (or both). Avoid ambiguous or sweeping statements in general.

Use quotations sparingly. When you do use quotes, cite correctly using an appropriate format.

Cut out the fluff. Write for impact, not length. Longer is not necessarily better. Your reader should not have to search for the main points of your argument. On the other hand, don’t expect to explain complex philosophical ideas in just a few sentences. Make sure your meaning is clear and your thoughts well organized.

Provide strong arguments:

A philosophy assignment is not a book report. You should be arguing for the position. Provide clear, concise, and coherent reasons for your position. Make sure your conclusion follows from your reasons.

Do not appeal to authority. Quotes should be used to support your argument. Do not rely solely on religious, political, or social bodies of belief. These may provide some evidence to support your position, but remember not everyone will agree these principles. Try to provide reasonable evidence by which someone with different beliefs may be swayed. Avoid logical fallacies.

Know your opposition. Confronting an opposing argument and providing evidence against it can be part of an effective paper. However, remember you are attacking positions, not people.

Philosophy is not about opinions or feelings. Philosophy is about making arguments. The distinction may not be clear to you at first, but it is an important distinction. Opinions are statements that generally require no evidence. Arguments are used to advance a position, and require supporting evidence.

“Ring of Gyges” Plato

Glaucon argues that we do not act morally (or justly) for any reason other than fear of punishment

He goes on to say that the perfectly unjust life might be more satisfying than the perfectly just life

“Ring of Gyges” Plato

Story of the ring meant to show (eventually) that justice is desirable for its own sake

Justice is not a matter of reward or punishment, but whether our souls and the state are balanced for optimal health

“On Human Exchange and Human Difference” Adam Smith

Why does Smith believe that “self-love” is a good thing?

Why does Smith discuss the differences in people’s talents? Why is it important that the difference in talents is not so large as we often suppose?

“On Human Exchange and Human Difference” Adam Smith

Self-love serves important purposes

By appeal, we can work together for mutual benefit

We share general talents necessary for human survival

In pursuing these common goals, we use our individual talents, causing us to be of good use to one another

The highest good for all will result if each individual member of society is allowed to pursue her or his own idea of the good (without interfering with others), so that everyone may cultivate the talents particular to her or him

“A Latin Viewpoint: The Bentonville Menace” Latin Trade

What is the problem with Wal-Mart in Latin America?

Is economic justice more important than low prices? Should we be shopping at Wal-Mart?

“A Latin Viewpoint: The Bentonville Menace” Latin Trade

Counters the free market argument derived from Smith’s position

Free markets can result in the weak being exploited by the powerful

Some principle of social justice violated in order to deliver low prices

“Exploitation of Need” Joanne B. Ciulla

The existence of choice does not necessarily eliminate exploitation

Self-enslavement: a choice to sell yourself to others in order to avoid starvation, violence, etc.

“How much freedom and human dignity can an employed morally justify buying because someone is willing to sell it?” (198)

“Exploitation of Need” Joanne B. Ciulla

Monkey Labor

Logic of exploitation used to justify taking advantage of needy

Use of power to determine wants and needs of others

Wages for time and freedom

Workers compensated not for the product or service, but for time and loss of freedom

Lower-wage jobs associated with greater loss of freedom

“The idea of selling freedom often goes hand-in-hand with selling labor, especially when a person is in desperate need of a job and has little choice” (200)

“Justice as Fairness” John Rawls

The initial situation and veil of ignorance

What principles of justice would we choose if we did not know any of the following:

Place in society

Class position or social status

Natural talents, intelligence, disabilities, etc.

Psychological state or philosophical leanings

“Justice as Fairness” John Rawls

From the original position, the majority of rational, self-interested people would choose the following two principles:

Equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with liberty for all

Inequalities should be arranged so that they are:

Reasonably expected to be to everyone’s advantage

Attached to positions and offices open to all

These principles of justice meant to compensate for the arbitrariness of nature and the contingencies of social circumstance

“Anarchy, State, and Utopia” Robert Nozick

Response to Rawls’ argument for justice as fairness

Nozick argues for justice as entitlement

Minimal state is the most needed in order to secure justice

Anything more than a minimal state violates individual rights

Redistribution by the state is a violation of entitlement theory

Entitlement theory

Principle of justice in acquisition

Principle of justice in transfer

“Rich and Poor” Peter Singer

Relative and absolute poverty

Relative poverty is poverty in relation to one’s neighbors (industrialized countries)

Absolute poverty is poverty by any standards

Obligation to Assist

Drowning child thought experiment

“If it is in our power to prevent something very bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral significance, we ought to do it” (216)

“A Capitalist Conception of Justice” Irving Kristol

Kristol argues capitalism does not require the creation of a common authority charged with redistributing wealth

A centralized power (like a government and a tax structure) not necessary to tell us who, when, and how to help others

“Social justice” designed to be incompatible with capitalism

Capitalism has its own justice with principles such as “equal opportunity leads to the bettering of everyone’s condition”

Human sympathy (Smith) in addition to economic considerations

“Justice Ruins the Market” Friedrich von Hayek

Argues that the attempt to impose “social justice” on a healthy marketplace will harm both the market and those whom the original action intended to help

In an unfettered market everyone knows the rules

“Social justice” means making rules to suit specific groups, so everyone cannot compete equally

Individual self-interest will usually result in what is in the general best interest, but self-interest of organized groups is not in the general interest

“The Winner-Take-All Game” Eduard Gracia

Example of how “market thinking” can interfere with the good of everyone

“Hollywood-style economics”

An economy in which reputation is everything

Our economy as “Hollywood-style”

Pressure for performance as stimulating in global competitive market, but also discounts long-term planning

Incentives for market-leaders to go after short-terms gains, ignoring long-terms implications, and ultimately hurting themselves in the end

Argues it is the organization’s duty to manage incentives to create the best balance of short-terms and long-terms incentives

“Comparable Worth: A Matter of Simple Justice” Gerald W. McEntee

Argument in defense of fairness in guaranteeing the equality of men’s and women’s earnings.

Because the labor of men and women is of “comparable worth,” they should have comparable pay

Addresses counter-arguments

Women’s more recent entry into workforce, etc.

Upset free market and require new laws

Dissimilar jobs

Costs too much

“The 1 Percent: How Lucky They Are” Greg Breining

The richest 1% owe their fabulous wealth to chance, according to a mathematical model by U of Minnesota

Capitalism inevitably puts wealth in the hands of a few

“If you play long enough, someone will end up with all the money” (232).

The superrich should give a lot of their money back

Concentrated wealth to this degree violates our sense of justice and breeds social instability

It may be bad business in the long-term

Extreme wealth is not a reward for virtue or merit, but simply luck

The True Cost

Website for the documentary: http://truecostmovie.com /

See “Learn More” for more info and resources

Can you identify any principles of justice which are being or may be violated by participants in the fast-fashion industry? What principles are violated by the corporate decision-makers? By the employees? By the consumers?

As demonstrated in the film, some economists argue that conditions in garment factories, bad as they may be, are better opportunities for workers in “developing” countries than they would have otherwise. After watching this film, do you buy this argument? Even if the argument is true, does that mean that conditions should not be improved? How are women’s rights particularly affected?

Compare the conditions for garment workers you saw in the film to those in factories in the U.S. in the early 20th century. How are they similar and how are they different? Compare the conditions for garment workers to conditions for factory workers in the United States and other Western countries today. What is the difference? What do you think makes conditions better in some countries? What allowed workers in the West to secure better working conditions, higher salaries, health insurance, and a chance at entering the middle class?

How important is collective bargaining to workers’ rights? When workers organized and protested the labor conditions in the film, they were met with a fierce backlash from their employers and state forces. Why is worker organizing and collective bargaining so threatening to employers and governments?

Given that labor and environmental laws are weaker in “developing” countries, are fast fashion companies’ voluntary codes of conduct sufficient to improve working conditions in garment factories? If not, how can domestic and international law be changed to make this improvement?

How can consumers affect change on this model? As experts posit in the film, consuming more can have a negative effect on your psyche. Can a change in your consumption habits improve your well-being? How can it improve the well-being of others?

As consumers what can we do? With so much recognized wrong in the world, how important are the issues raised here? Think about a single mother with four children to feed. Should she feel justified in shopping at Wal-Mart or elsewhere considering her kids will grow out of the clothes in a few months? If you are a university student facing student loan debt and (hopefully) an entry-level salary, how can you make ethical fashion a part of your lifestyle?