Conclusion

Abstract

This book has begun a tentative exploration of justice as the pursuit of accord (JPA) or indepentarianism. JPA involves three central ideas: (1) People’s first duty is try to stay out of each other’s way. This duty entails the respect for each other’s need to maintain core well-being, and their equal entitlement to the most important liberties—that is, to status freedom. (2) When it is not possible to stay out of each other’s way, people’s duty is to seek accord; to seek an agreement in which each party literally accepts the sacrifices they make in exchange for the sacrifices others make on their behalf. (3) When universal accord is not possible—and it is usually not possible—people’s duty is to seek both the widest possible agreement and the minimum negative impact on dissenters (i.e., those who cannot be brought into agreement).

[A] certain small income, sufficient for necessaries, should be secured to all, whether they work or not, and … a larger income, as much larger as might be warranted by the total amount of commodities produced, should be given to those who are willing to engage in some work which the community recognizes as useful. On this basis we may build further.

—Bertrand Russell¹