The Imperialism of Desert

Abstract

What is the relation between desert and other values such as equality, priority for the worse off, and utility? According to the common view, desert and these other values reflect distinct concerns: some are about distributive justice, some about retributive justice, and some (most clearly, utility) are not concerned with justice at all. However, another view holds that while desert is a basic value, other values are merely derived from it. This controversy is relevant, for instance, to allocative decisions and criminal punishment, where we need to know if other values should be balanced against desert. Yet, despite its theoretical significance and practical importance, this topic is underexplored. Aiming to fill this gap, we consider the arguments for and against the competing views.

Keywords: Desert, Wellbeing, Utility, Equality, Priority, Sufficiency