Washburn approaches capitalism from its two binary perspectives. The pro-capitalist posits that capitalism “moves on two tracks, the economic track and the political track” (Washburn, 155). They remark that the economic track allows people to be free and independent, while the political track is democratic, giving people an equal voice. They define justice as “being fair” and that it is giving people “what they have earned or merited” (Washburn, 155). Because capitalism rewards people for their individual contribution to society, the inequalities present in the economic track must be just. However, the pro-socialist disagrees because capitalism is based on profit. The pro-socialist says profit is “lying” and tricking others to pay more money …show more content…
Capitalists claim people are rewarded for their efforts but can’t explain economic inequality from birth. Someone born into a poor household does not “deserve” their misfortune just as a wealthy baby did not “earn” the benefits of wealth. The socialist’s weakest argument is that profit by increasing a product’s price is “dishonest”. Dishonesty requires one party’s failure to recognize that they are being lied to. In a capitalist society, a person purchases goods at higher prices knowing they are paying more, and agreeing to do so out of a fundamental understanding of how capitalism …show more content…
Swinburne offers a strong counterargument in the form of a theodicy. Swinburne takes up the position that God is only omniscient within the logical realm (i.e. his actions must be logical) and that people have free will (Swinburne, 83). Swinburne refutes critics who claim God could have created perfectly-good humans by explaining that by commanding his creations to always choose the good, God would be breaking logic, something even an omniscient being can’t do. He similarly explained that God couldn’t have reduced evil, as that would still be indirectly controlling humans, which he said was analogous to “hypnosis or drugs” (Swinburne, 85). Another approach to the problem of evil is the soul-making defense, of which Hick is a key figure. Hick argues evil exists as a form of human development. Hick firmly stated that a human which “attained to goodness” via experience, was more valuable than one created as such ab initio (Hick,