The Importance of Contributive Justice

In the tyranny of merit I argue that distributive justice is not enough. We need Contributive Justice by which I mean everyone in a democratic society should have an opportunity to exercise their talents, to contribute to the common good and to win social recognition and esteem for having done so. This is why it's not enough simply to administer soma that could elevate people's serotonin levels or utility functions. In many ways, the crisis we have today goes beyond a crisis of inequality of income and wealth, though it's certainly that. It's also a crisis of recognition and of mutual recognition.