It's Easy to Provide a Basic Justification For Inequality

The classic justification for inequality is often called the functionalist theory of inequaality.

Unequal rewards draw the hardest working and most talented people to the positions where they can provide the most benefit to society.

Extended training periods, hard work, risk taking, and innovation all benefit society but are only likely to happen when they are rewarded.

Virtually all college students believe this, and in a lot of ways, it's demonstrably true. How many people would undertake the 10-14 years training necessary to become a doctor if the prestige and financial rewards were not great?

But, the theory has at least three critical problems: the problem of social good, the problem of the playing field, and the problem of money and motivation.