The Distribution of Primary Goods by Nozick and Rawls Essay

The Distribution of Primary Goods by Nozick and Rawls - Essay Example He contends that if individuals have acquired their share in the distribution in a fair manner, without violating the rights of other people, then the distribution is just. Since such acquisitions are made using the natural talents that individuals possess, he argues that injustice cannot contend in the allocation and use of natural talents. The system whereby such distributions have resulted are the result of gifts or acquisitions made on the basis of individual initiative, which is just, as a result, the distribution resulting out of it is also just. Rawls, however, offers a different view on the distribution of primary assets, viewing it on the basis of its end outcome. He contends that since the outcome is an unjust distribution of primary assets in society, it is morally repugnant and must be redressed through the input from social and legal establishments by providing equality in opportunity for access to those resources to all individuals. Nozick’s theory of justice is based upon the â€Å"entitlement theory of holdings†, wherein the question of justice in acquisition is determined by the manner in which the property is acquired rather than the final outcome itself. Property may be transferred either through gift giving or by free exchange selling. Both these methods are undertaken voluntarily and there is no coercion at all that is involved in one person passing on a property to another. (Nozick, 151). He argues that when land does not belong to anyone at first, then a just acquisition process would allow someone to own it legitimately and claim it as theirs, so long as they do not make anyone else worse off in the process. Nozick’s theory of justice is, therefore, a system of pure procedural justice, where the important aspect to be considered is the process and system by which distributions are made, rather than the final outcome of that distribution.