Impartiality and inequality of resources: Edgeworth and utilitarianism

This paper analyses Edgeworth’s anti-egalitarian conclusions, which are based on utilitarianism and the hypothesis that individuals differ in their sensitivity to pleasure and pain. According to Edgeworth, the absence of perfect competition is a defining feature of the contemporary world. This necessitates the adoption of a principle of arbitration to reconcile conflicting individual interests. The purpose of this arbitration principle is to identify the means of achieving the greatest happiness, taking into account differences in capacity for pleasure and pain. However, the question remains as to what could motivate individuals to adopt the equilibrium point defined by utilitarianism.