Suppose society consists of three individuals: Phil, Jay, and Mitchell. Phil has $60,000 of income, Jay has $200,000 of income, and Mitchell has $100,000 of income. A utilitarian would argue that
A)taking $1 from Mitchell and giving it to Phil would increase society's total utility.
B)taking $1 from Mitchell and giving it to Jay would increase society's total utility.
C)taking $1 from Phil and giving it to Jay would increase society's total utility.
D)None of the above are correct because all three individuals have sufficient income.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A utilitarian would argue for redistributing income to increase total utility, as the marginal utility of income is higher for those with less income. Taking $1 from Mitchell and giving it to Phil would likely increase total utility because Phil has less income and would gain more utility from the additional dollar than Mitchell would lose.

Suppose Society Consists of Three Individuals: Phil, Jay, and Mitchell