Research On Theory Of Distributive Justice By Ronald Dworkin

Dworkin’s thought of distributive justice is based on his theory of value unity.The theory of value unity is not only the methodology of moral philosophy,but also the substantive theory of moral value.The theory of value unification puts forward that the truth of moral assertion lies in a constructive explanation with sufficient reasons.It advocates the construction of a complete and coherent network of values and the incorporation of all moral beliefs and values so as to enable them to define and support each other so as to provide the best explanation of objective truth for each value concept as a whole.Dworkin’s theory of distributive justice mainly consists of two closely related parts: the theory of resource equality and the concept of partnership democracy,the former refers to the distribution of wealth in the economic system,and the latter refers to the distribution of citizen’s status and rights in political life.Both parts adhere to the core principle of equal liberalism: the government should care for and respect its citizens equally.Resource equality is based on the questioning of laissez-faire and welfare equality.It requires the distribution system adopted by the government to achieve such an effect: the final distribution of social wealth only reflects the differences of citizens’ choices,but not the differences of citizens’ origin,gifts,luck and other factors.Dworkin achieves this goal under ideal circumstances by means of initial auction and virtual insurance,and tries to apply the above two methods flexibly to reality through levying inheritance tax and implementing social security,so as to realize the distribution justice in economic life.Partnership democracy is based on the criticism of majority democracy,which requires the community to regard every citizen as a free and equal partner towards the common goal of justice.Dworkin tried to realize the ideal of partnership democracy through three dimensions of democracy:people’s sovereignty,citizen equality and democratic dialogue,and put forward practical measures to curb money politics,attach importance to the role of judges,and tolerate good and illegal practices.Dworkin’s theory of distributive justice and its rooted theory of value unity have great and lasting influence in western academic circles,and its theoretical contribution is also very important.On the one hand,the theory of distributive justice and the theory of value unification strongly refute Berlin’s theory of multi-conflict of values,which not only opens up a new way for the value monism,but also declares that human society can advance towards perfect good,and puts forward an epoch-making concept of moral truth.On the other hand,the theory of distributive justice critically inherits and develops Rawls’ theory of justice,introduces the concept of personalresponsibility into the theory of neo-liberalism,and effectively responds to the challenges and challenges from classical liberalism and welfare equality.However,the theory of distributive justice also has its internal defects,which are especially reflected in the theory of resource equality,such as the division of individual responsibility and collective responsibility to be discussed,the difficulty of distinguishing selective and original luck,and the inconsistency of the purpose and means of equal distribution.These defects not only make the theory of distributive justice blamed,but also leave room for our further thinking and exploration.