Santa Monica Philosophy Now Meetup – Economic inequality: philosophical views

Hello Philosophy & Ethics Fans!

UPDATE: we have a topic for the monthly Meetup, this Sunday, September 21 at 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Pacific Time. We're meeting by Zoom this month; join in by phone or by computer with a microphone and (preferably) a webcam. Shortly before the meeting starts, I'll send a Zoom invitation with the link and some discussion notes.

If your plans to attend have changed, please update your RSVP.

The winner of the email vote and the topic for Sunday is:

IS ECONOMIC INEQUALITY BAD IN ITSELF, OR IS IT SIMPLY THE LACK OF RESOURCES THAT'S BAD? Is the sole problem with economic inequality the fact that those at the lower (and perhaps middle) end of the spectrum suffer material deprivations and hardships? If those deprivations and hardships were remedied, what reasons, if any, would we have to reduce inequality?

Most agree that economic inequality is objectionable if it comes about through unjust means. But, if inequality comes about fairly and morally, are there principled reasons to oppose it?
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READINGS for the topic – I have a 15-minute podcast and a short article for you this time.

https://philosophybites.com/podcast/tim-scanlon-on-whats-wrong-with-inequality/
What's Wrong with Inequality? In this 15-minute Philosophy Bites podcast episode, philosopher Nigel Warburton interviews Harvard philosopher Tim Scanlon on the ethics of economic inequality. Stream it online, download it, or read the transcript.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/110/Lets_Be_Reasonable
Let’s Be Reasonable! In this 5-page article in Philosophy Now magazine, social scientist Philip Badger argues against economic inequality on moral and economic grounds.
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Don't forget, if you have some philosophical question or issue that you want to talk about at a future meeting, email it to me!