SG – What’s Wrong with Wealth?

About lecture series Economic Inequality

The Ethics and Politics of Wealth Governance

We live in a world in which some individuals possess more wealth than entire nation states. Inequality has been on the rise in most countries. What’s more, the same goes for the disparity between public and private wealth: while governments have become poorer, private actors have become richer.

But who says high economic inequality is problematic? Is there such a thing as (un)acceptable inequality and what ethical underpinnings could there be for it? And what could be at stake for democracies? In this series, we delve into these matters and discuss the role of political choices.

About What’s Wrong with Wealth?

The super-rich continue to amass vast fortunes, while millions of people around the globe struggle in poverty. Tonight we reflect on this from a philosophical perspective. Is there such a thing as fair inequality? And can someone be too rich?

Political philosopher Dick Timmer shows how different views about justice and equality lead to different evaluations of economic inequality. Why does it sometimes seem as if people mean radically different things when they talk about ‘equality’? How does this complicate discussions about redistribution? Subsequently, Dick introduces us to limitarianism, the view that there should be a limit on how much wealth people can have. What are the ethical and pragmatic considerations behind this view? This thought-provoking session invites you to ponder and share your take on (in)equality and the idea of an accumulation ceiling.

About Dick Timmer

Dick Timmer is assistant professor in moral and political philosophy at Technical University Dortmund. His research lies at the intersection of political philosophy and ethics, with a focus on questions about distributive justice, equality, climate ethics, moral status, and our obligations to future generations. Dick is also interested in questions concerning methods and arguments in normative philosophy. Through his work, he aims to address both theoretical challenges in these fields and their practical implications for real-world issues.

In 2021, Dick earned his PhD from Utrecht University with a dissertation titled Thresholds and Limits in Theories of Distributive Justice, supervised by Ingrid Robeyns as part of the ERC-funded Fair Limits Project. In May this year, his first book was published, titled Sommige mensen zijn te rijk. Over wat gelijkheid écht betekent en hoe we dat bereiken (Some people are too rich. On what equality really means and how we can achieve it). Dick is currently laying the groundwork for a book on inheritance tax—a topic where he believes all of philosophy’s big questions come together.