Question

Who among the following political thinkers said, "No one deserves his greater natural capacity nor merit a more favourable starting place in society"?

• A. John Stuart Mill
• B. Karl Marx
• C. John Rawls
• D. Robert Nozick

Hint:

Associate John Rawls with the "Natural Lottery" and the "Original Position." He believes justice is "Fairness" and that we must mitigate the effects of accidental birth circumstances.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: This quote is a central tenet of John Rawls's theory of justice, specifically regarding the "moral arbitrariness" of natural talents and social circumstances. Rawls argues that the distribution of natural assets (intelligence, strength) and the social family one is born into are matters of pure luck—what he calls the "natural lottery."

Step 1: Understanding the Moral Arbitrariness of Luck.
Rawls posits that because individuals do not "earn" their high IQ, athletic ability, or wealthy parents, they have no moral claim to the exclusive benefits derived from these advantages. In his seminal work, *A Theory of Justice* (1971), he argues that justice must account for these undeserved inequalities.

Step 2: The Difference Principle.
To address this, Rawls introduces the Difference Principle, which states that social and economic inequalities are permissible only if they result in compensating benefits for everyone, and in particular for the least advantaged members of society. By saying no one "deserves" their starting place, he justifies the redistribution of resources to ensure fairness.

Step 3: Contrast with other thinkers.
While Robert Nozick (Option 4) argued for "entitlement" to whatever one gains through fair exchange (even if based on natural talent), and Mill (Option 1) focused on utility, Rawls specifically focused on the fairness of the initial "starting position" in life.