Q.What are generally considered to be the basic minimum requirements of people for living a healthy and productive life? What is the responsibility of governments in trying to ensure this minimum to all?
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →The basic minimum requirements generally agreed upon are adequate nourishment, housing, a supply of clean drinking water, education, and a minimum wage; providing these to all citizens is considered one of the core responsibilities of a democratic government, even though doing so can be a heavy burden, especially in countries with large numbers of poor people.
The chapter explains that a just society need not guarantee everyone an identical standard of living — justice does not require absolute equality or sameness in how people live. But a society would be considered unjust if the gap between rich and poor is so extreme that the deprived seem to live in an entirely different world, with no real chance of improving their condition however hard they work. To avoid this, a just society should ensure people have the basic minimum conditions needed to live healthy and secure lives, to develop their talents, and to pursue their own goals, along with equal opportunity to do so.
Since it is not obvious exactly what this "basic minimum" should include, various governments and international organisations — including the World Health Organisation — have devised different methods of calculating people's basic needs. But there is broad agreement that the basic minimum should include: the basic amount of nourishment needed to remain healthy, housing, a supply of clean drinking water, education, and a minimum wage. …
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