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A doctrine
that sees meritocracy as the best political regime. It accepts standpoint
of right libertarianism that every individual has exclusive right
to dispose with everything he has earned only with the help of his
talents and efforts. But the left libertarianism rejects the thesis
of its right relative that the initial acquisition of natural resources
could be unrestricted or only mildly limited. This theory claims
that external or natural resources should be divided equally to
all members of a society. This means that every individual starting
a life should get a right to use equal amount of natural resources
as everybody else. (For this reason the doctrine is also called
starting-gate theory.) What an individual makes of these resources
afterwards depends on his personal characteristics, whatever they
are, and bears full responsibility for this. It must be stressed
that limitations put on the personal control of external resources
do not apply only to initial acquisition but also to inheritance
of property which is severely restricted too. In short, this theory
wants to exclude impact of received social position of an individual
on his economic destiny and tries to secure success in life to the
talented and industrious.
The main defender
of this theory is Hillel Steiner.
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