Abstract
R. B. Braithwaite’s story of the pianist and trumpeter with adjoining rooms is presented, and his solution to the problem of dividing playing time fairly between them is discussed, along with alternative solutions that have been put forward. These solutions are criticized for the shared assumption that the object of distribution is utility rather than opportunity. The author proposes a different approach and works out its implications for the problem of the pianist and the trumpeter in three variants. In conclusion, the relevance of the analysis to wider issues of distribution is briefly considered.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Bibliography
Axelrod, R.: 1970, Conflict of Interest (Markham, Chicago).
Bartos, O. J.: 1967, Simple Models of Group Behavior (Columbia University Press, New York).
Braithwaite, R. B.: 1955, Theory of Games as a Tool for the Moral Philosopher (Cambridge University Press, London).
Gauthier, D.: 1974a, ‘Justice and natural endowment’, Social Theory and Practice 3, 3–26.
Gauthier, D.: 1974b, ‘Rational cooperation’, Nous 8, pp. 53–65.
Gauthier, D.: 1975, ‘Reason and maximization’, Canadian Journal of Philosophy 4, pp. 411–33.
Gauthier, D.: 1977, ‘The social contract as ideology’, Philosophy and Public Affairs 6, pp. 130–64.
Hare, R. M.: 1963, Freedom and Reason (Clarendon Press, Oxford).
Harsanyi, J. C.: 1955, ‘Cardinal welfare, individualistic ethics, and interpersonal comparisons of utility’, Journal of Political Economy 63, pp. 309–21.
Harsanyi, J. C.: 1975, ‘Can the maximin principle serve as a basis for morality? A critique of John Rawls’s theory’, American Political Science Review 69, pp. 594–606.
Harsanyi, J. C.: 1977, Rational Behavior and Bargaining Equilibrium in Games and Social Situations (Cambridge University Press, London).
Lucas, J. R.: 1959, ‘Moralists and gamesmen’, Philosophy 34, pp. 1–11.
Luce, R. D. and Raiffa, H.: 1957, Games and Decisions (Wiley, New York).
Nash, J. F.: 1950, ‘The bargaining problem’, Econometrica 18, pp. 155–62.
Nicholson, M.: 1970, Conflict Analysis (The English Universities Press, London).
Rawls, J.: 1958, ‘Justice as fairness’, Philosophical Review 67, pp. 164–94.
Rawls, J.: 1969, ‘Distributive justice’, in Peter Laslett and W. G. Runciman (eds.), Philosophy, Politics and Society, 3rd Series (Blackwell, Oxford).
Rawls, J.: 1971, A Theory of Justice (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.).
Rawls, J.: 1975, ‘Fairness to goodness’, The Philosophical Reveiw 84, pp. 536–54.
Sen, A. K.: 1970, Collective Choice and Social Welfare (Holden-Day, San Francisco).
Smart, J. C. C.: 1973, ‘An outline of a system of utilitarian ethics’, in J. C. C. Smart and Bernard Williams (eds.), Utilitarianism: For and Against (Cambridge University Press, London).
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1979 D. Reidel Publishing Co., Dordrecht, Holland, and Boston, U.S.A.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Barry, B. (1979). Don’t Shoot The Trumpeter - He’s Doing His Best!. In: Brock, H.W. (eds) Game Theory, Social Choice and Ethics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9532-1_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9532-1_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-009-9534-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-9532-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive