SUS1501-24-S1-178T 7. FAIR'S FAIR - DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE Assessment 4 - 727035
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Assessment 4 - 727035
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Due: Friday, 5 April 2024, 8:00 AM
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Assessment 4 - 727035
Tuesday, 9 January 2024, 11:49 AM
ASSESSMENT 04:
FAIR'S FAIR
So, in assessment 2, we reflected on a particular case involving great wealth - Bob van
Dijk and his R 1.9 billion payout in 2018/2019. In assessment 3, we reflected on very
severe poverty and abuse in the supply chain of a global commodity - cobalt.
In this assessment we are going to think about the possibility that these two issues -
great wealth and great poverty - might be linked by focusing on the proposal in
Assessment 1 that:
“The wealth of a few depends on the poverty of many.”
To make this possibility really come alive though, we want you to consider two of the
questions in assessment 1 together:
"Of the top 10 wealthiest people (all men), eight are tech billionaires. Their net
worth is US$ 1.1 trillion or ZAR 22 trillion"
(To put this into a bit of perspective, the South African Government Employee
Pension Fund, South Africa's biggest asset owner has somewhere between ZAR
2 and ZAR 3 trillion.)
AND
, "60% of the world's cobalt is mined in the DRC. Significant amounts of this is
mined under appalling conditions, often by child labourers."
Why is this important?
Well because of these:
You see:
whether it's Elon Musk and his high-tech electric cars or Mark Zuckeberg and his
Meta,
whether it is Jeff Bezos and Amazon, or Bill Gate's Microsoft,
ALL of the wealth of these tech billionaires is based fundamentally on lithium cobalt
batteries.
No cobalt, no lithium cobalt batteries. No lithium cobalt batteries, no tech billionaires.
No child labour, a lot less cheap cobalt available for these batteries. These two
scenarios are intimately linked.
So, it seems that in this case, "the unbelievable wealth of a few depends on the awful
miserable poverty of many".
To me this poses an obvious question:
IS THIS OK?
And this is what we are going to discuss in this assessment!
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 0: Do assessment 1
If you haven't already done it, please go to the AT A CROSSROAD section and do
Assessment 1 now.
YOU MAY GET 0 (ZERO) FOR THIS ASSESSMENT IF YOU HAVE NOT SUBMITTED
YOUR ASSESSMENT 1.
Step 1: Answer the question "Is this ok?"
In the discussion forum below, write an answer to the question posed above: "Is this
ok?".
, Your answer must contain the following sections:
1. 1. An analysis of the inequalities described above (child labour and tech
billionaires) using ALL of John Rawls' principles in their correct order
(remember that the order is very important);
2. An thorough analysis of the inequality described using John Rawls' veil of
ignorance;
3. Your opinion on the inequality described; and
4. Your explanation of why you hold this opinion
From your answers to 1 and 2, we must be left in no doubt that you have actually
understood the concepts. This means that you will need to apply the concepts to the
scenario. Just defining them won't cut it! If we cannot see this understanding you will
not pass this assessment.
Step 2: Comment on other students' submissions
That's what you have to do. But as usual, you might also feel obliged to comment on
other people's contributions. Great stuff!!
And remember that we can give extra marks for gripping discussion.
And of course, don't forget the rules of engagement when you comment.
551 words
Permalink
Re: Assessment 4 - 727035
by JUAN DU PLOOY - Wednesday, 13 March 2024, 4:39 PM
Assessment 4: 727035
Student: Juan du Plooy
Student Number: 33751137
Question1
Is this ok?
Looking at the situation and analysing it through John Rawls different
principals I would evaluate the situation as follows:
1. The Original Position
The original positions states that the valid principal of justice would be a
position where everyone would be able to choose from freely or equality will
be in play for everyone.
The situation with children working in cobalt mines and causing billionaires
to own yachts because of it is not equal at all. The basic human rights that
John Rawl advocates for in this principal is violated by the disproportionate
wealth that the cobalt raw material has created for a certain few when that
abuse and exploitation of children is happening.
2. Prinicpals of Justice:
1. Greatest Equal Liberty
“each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty
compatible with a similar liberty for others”
This principal advocates for each person in society to have some
fundemantal rights and liberties that are necessary for each person to fit into
, society with a sense of belonging. These are basic needs/rights that each
person should have.
The kids mining cobalt do not have these basic rights. They should be
provided education by their government they should be provided clothing
and shelter and sustenance. The fact that they have to work to earn a living
to be able to have those rights goes against this very principal.
2. A. Equality of Fair Opportunity
“According to this principle, any person, irrespective of where they sit in
society should have absolutely equal opportunity to attain absolutely any
position”
This principal advocates for a fair opportunity to be or become anything you
desire. The choice should be yours where you land up in life. This principal is
not being followed at all with regards to the children working in the cobalt
mines. 1st the government of the DRC is failing these kids by not providing
them with a fair opportunity of education and basic human rights. 2nd the
mines are taking advantage of these kidse by exploiting their situatiions and
forcing them to be cheap labour. 3rd the companies that use these raw
materials for the batteries should stop using them until there are proper
controls in place as to how the cobalt is mined. So these kids definatly don’t
have a fair opportunity
b. The Difference Prinicpal
“Perhaps more than any of the other principles, this principle allowed some
degree of inequality to be considered. What Rawls basically said was that
any inequality could not be detrimental to the interests of the least well off in
society – the poorest of the poor, the weakest of the weak. In fact it ought to
be beneficial to the poorest of the poor”
This principal allows for inequality in society as long as it benefits the poor
and the weakest in society. The kids mining the cobalt are not benefiting
according to this principle. Not only should they not be in the mines at all
(they should be in school and on playgrounds being kids and having fun and
a joyful upbrininging), but they are not even being paid a fair price or rate for
the work they are doing. These kids are being taken advantage of and this
principal is totally being violated.
Question 2
The ineqaluity described using the John Rawls veil of ignorance.
“Rawls' idea goes like this: when we are thinking about principles which we
are going to use for distributing stuff fairly, we should not know anything
about where we sit in society or our natural talents – the accidents of our
birth place/family and our genetic makeup”
Considering the situation that these kids face everyday it would be logical
that no person would want to expose themselves or their children to it. The
tech Billionaires (or any other person in society) would not choose that work
as a fair and just occupation in a society. The situation is totally
unacceptable and should be stopped and outlawed immediately. There are
various tools that can be used for that… mines being caught doing this
should have there license revoked and companies buying from these mines
should be fined and there directors put in prisons.
FORUM
Assessment 4 - 727035
Done
Due: Friday, 5 April 2024, 8:00 AM
View grades
Display replies in nested form Settings
This discussion has been locked so you can no longer reply to it.
Assessment 4 - 727035
Tuesday, 9 January 2024, 11:49 AM
ASSESSMENT 04:
FAIR'S FAIR
So, in assessment 2, we reflected on a particular case involving great wealth - Bob van
Dijk and his R 1.9 billion payout in 2018/2019. In assessment 3, we reflected on very
severe poverty and abuse in the supply chain of a global commodity - cobalt.
In this assessment we are going to think about the possibility that these two issues -
great wealth and great poverty - might be linked by focusing on the proposal in
Assessment 1 that:
“The wealth of a few depends on the poverty of many.”
To make this possibility really come alive though, we want you to consider two of the
questions in assessment 1 together:
"Of the top 10 wealthiest people (all men), eight are tech billionaires. Their net
worth is US$ 1.1 trillion or ZAR 22 trillion"
(To put this into a bit of perspective, the South African Government Employee
Pension Fund, South Africa's biggest asset owner has somewhere between ZAR
2 and ZAR 3 trillion.)
AND
, "60% of the world's cobalt is mined in the DRC. Significant amounts of this is
mined under appalling conditions, often by child labourers."
Why is this important?
Well because of these:
You see:
whether it's Elon Musk and his high-tech electric cars or Mark Zuckeberg and his
Meta,
whether it is Jeff Bezos and Amazon, or Bill Gate's Microsoft,
ALL of the wealth of these tech billionaires is based fundamentally on lithium cobalt
batteries.
No cobalt, no lithium cobalt batteries. No lithium cobalt batteries, no tech billionaires.
No child labour, a lot less cheap cobalt available for these batteries. These two
scenarios are intimately linked.
So, it seems that in this case, "the unbelievable wealth of a few depends on the awful
miserable poverty of many".
To me this poses an obvious question:
IS THIS OK?
And this is what we are going to discuss in this assessment!
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 0: Do assessment 1
If you haven't already done it, please go to the AT A CROSSROAD section and do
Assessment 1 now.
YOU MAY GET 0 (ZERO) FOR THIS ASSESSMENT IF YOU HAVE NOT SUBMITTED
YOUR ASSESSMENT 1.
Step 1: Answer the question "Is this ok?"
In the discussion forum below, write an answer to the question posed above: "Is this
ok?".
, Your answer must contain the following sections:
1. 1. An analysis of the inequalities described above (child labour and tech
billionaires) using ALL of John Rawls' principles in their correct order
(remember that the order is very important);
2. An thorough analysis of the inequality described using John Rawls' veil of
ignorance;
3. Your opinion on the inequality described; and
4. Your explanation of why you hold this opinion
From your answers to 1 and 2, we must be left in no doubt that you have actually
understood the concepts. This means that you will need to apply the concepts to the
scenario. Just defining them won't cut it! If we cannot see this understanding you will
not pass this assessment.
Step 2: Comment on other students' submissions
That's what you have to do. But as usual, you might also feel obliged to comment on
other people's contributions. Great stuff!!
And remember that we can give extra marks for gripping discussion.
And of course, don't forget the rules of engagement when you comment.
551 words
Permalink
Re: Assessment 4 - 727035
by JUAN DU PLOOY - Wednesday, 13 March 2024, 4:39 PM
Assessment 4: 727035
Student: Juan du Plooy
Student Number: 33751137
Question1
Is this ok?
Looking at the situation and analysing it through John Rawls different
principals I would evaluate the situation as follows:
1. The Original Position
The original positions states that the valid principal of justice would be a
position where everyone would be able to choose from freely or equality will
be in play for everyone.
The situation with children working in cobalt mines and causing billionaires
to own yachts because of it is not equal at all. The basic human rights that
John Rawl advocates for in this principal is violated by the disproportionate
wealth that the cobalt raw material has created for a certain few when that
abuse and exploitation of children is happening.
2. Prinicpals of Justice:
1. Greatest Equal Liberty
“each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty
compatible with a similar liberty for others”
This principal advocates for each person in society to have some
fundemantal rights and liberties that are necessary for each person to fit into
, society with a sense of belonging. These are basic needs/rights that each
person should have.
The kids mining cobalt do not have these basic rights. They should be
provided education by their government they should be provided clothing
and shelter and sustenance. The fact that they have to work to earn a living
to be able to have those rights goes against this very principal.
2. A. Equality of Fair Opportunity
“According to this principle, any person, irrespective of where they sit in
society should have absolutely equal opportunity to attain absolutely any
position”
This principal advocates for a fair opportunity to be or become anything you
desire. The choice should be yours where you land up in life. This principal is
not being followed at all with regards to the children working in the cobalt
mines. 1st the government of the DRC is failing these kids by not providing
them with a fair opportunity of education and basic human rights. 2nd the
mines are taking advantage of these kidse by exploiting their situatiions and
forcing them to be cheap labour. 3rd the companies that use these raw
materials for the batteries should stop using them until there are proper
controls in place as to how the cobalt is mined. So these kids definatly don’t
have a fair opportunity
b. The Difference Prinicpal
“Perhaps more than any of the other principles, this principle allowed some
degree of inequality to be considered. What Rawls basically said was that
any inequality could not be detrimental to the interests of the least well off in
society – the poorest of the poor, the weakest of the weak. In fact it ought to
be beneficial to the poorest of the poor”
This principal allows for inequality in society as long as it benefits the poor
and the weakest in society. The kids mining the cobalt are not benefiting
according to this principle. Not only should they not be in the mines at all
(they should be in school and on playgrounds being kids and having fun and
a joyful upbrininging), but they are not even being paid a fair price or rate for
the work they are doing. These kids are being taken advantage of and this
principal is totally being violated.
Question 2
The ineqaluity described using the John Rawls veil of ignorance.
“Rawls' idea goes like this: when we are thinking about principles which we
are going to use for distributing stuff fairly, we should not know anything
about where we sit in society or our natural talents – the accidents of our
birth place/family and our genetic makeup”
Considering the situation that these kids face everyday it would be logical
that no person would want to expose themselves or their children to it. The
tech Billionaires (or any other person in society) would not choose that work
as a fair and just occupation in a society. The situation is totally
unacceptable and should be stopped and outlawed immediately. There are
various tools that can be used for that… mines being caught doing this
should have there license revoked and companies buying from these mines
should be fined and there directors put in prisons.
