An Argument for Social Insurance Based on Personal Identity

Abstract

This article presents an argument for compulsory insurance that compensates for loss of income in the event of sickness or unemployment. The argument is based on a concern for the protection of our identity according to what is called a ‘thick’ conception of the person, as developed by communitarians such as Michael Sandel, which holds that our identities as separate persons are constituted by our ends and ideals. Briefly, the proposed argument is that since we typically require a reasonably steady income to protect and maintain our identity as separate persons, and since most of us are exposed to the risk of loss of income because of sickness or unemployment, we have reason to endorse social insurance in the form of insurance against loss of income for those reasons. It is also argued that, contrary to what has been claimed by opponents of social insurance, such insurance need not lead to exploitation by benefitting those whom insurers would consider as bad risks at the expense of those whom insurers would consider as good risks or be in head-on conflict with individual freedom.