Can a socialist be rich? Should a rich egalitarian give away their excess wealth?
In "If You're an Egalitarian, How Come You're So Rich?", political philosopher G. A. Cohen argues against some common excuses for rich egalitarians not giving away their excess wealth. And, in the followup paper "If You’re an Egalitarian, You Shouldn’t be so Rich" by Jason Brennan & Christopher Freiman, these arguments are extended. As both papers argue, there seems to be no good (moral) reason for an egalitarian to hold onto their excess wealth.
Timestamps:
0:00 The Rich Socialist
0:36 Clarifications & Focus
1:12 Three Arguments
1:21 A Drop in the Ocean
2:50 Fight the System
4:29 The Poor Rich Socialist
5:30 End
#socialism #equality #philosophy
