Libertarians argue that redistributive taxation violates self-ownership: if you own yourself, you own your labor and its products, so taking them through taxation is akin to forced labor. G.A. Cohen responded that if self-ownership entitles you to full products of labor, what about natural talents—gifts of genetic lottery? If talents are unearned, why do their products wholly belong to the talented? The debate reveals tensions between different intuitions about desert and entitlement.
Based on the passage, it can be inferred that
all political philosophers agree about taxation
arguments for property rights may face questions about which aspects of production are truly 'owned'
natural talents have no relationship to productivity
Cohen fully endorsed the libertarian position
Correct Answer: B
Choice B is the best answer. The source of talents complicates ownership claims.
- Context clues: If talents are "gifts of genetic lottery," why do products wholly belong to the talented?
- Meaning: What we can claim ownership over is disputed.
- Verify: The challenge concerns what inputs to production (including talents) can be owned.
đź’ˇ Strategy: When an argument is challenged by questioning what's truly owned, infer ownership boundaries are disputed.
Choice A is incorrect because libertarians and Cohen disagree. Choice C is incorrect because the whole argument is about talent contributing to productivity. Choice D is incorrect because Cohen "responded" critically to libertarianism.