John Rawls’s Theory of Justice
Ethan Little
John
Rawls was born in 1921 and died in 2002. Rawls published his book called Theory of
Justice in 1971. He was called the greatest
political philosopher of the twentieth century by Bill Clinton. His version of justice describes a society of
free equal basic rights and this is referred to as Equalitarian Economic
System. He stated that “all should have
access to wealth” but this is not in the same way as in Marxism and socialism. Rawls said, “each person is to have an equal
right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for
others.” His focus was on “fairness” as
an example; a rich kid with a talent for something would have the same education
or support as a poor kid with a comparable amount of talent. This is not saying that everyone should be paid
the same amount but that everyone should have access to those higher-paying
jobs.
John
Rawls liked to use a thought experiment called “The Veil of Ignorance” and in
this exercise, you do not know anything about yourself. You do not know your age, gender, or ethnicity. When one is under The Veil of Ignorance you
look at something to determine if it is fair or not. As an example, if you were under The Veil of
Ignorance and you were looking at our economic system would you think it is
fair? John Rawls would say it is not because
one could be born into a wealthy or an impoverished family then the wealthy kid
would receive the best support from his family that others would never get. This is just one instance in which the veil is
applicable. John Rawls felt that we
could use the Veil of Ignorance to critique our society.
John
Rawls believed that justice is fairness and there are two principles to achieve
it. The first is “Each person has an
equal right to a fully adequate scheme of equal basic liberties which is
compatible with a similar scheme of liberties for all.” The second is “Social and economic
inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both (a) to the greatest
benefit of the least advantaged and (b) attached to offices and positions open
to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity.”
John Rawls also spoke about what he called the “Difference Principle.” this principle states that any distribution of goods must be to the maximum benefit to the least advantaged. This serves as a way to level the playing field and make it fair for everyone. I feel that this is a great example of John Rawls's beliefs and a splendid way to summarize his teachings.
In conclusion, John Rawls was one of the greatest political thinkers of his time. Many of his theories are still applicable to us today and will likely still be used far in the future. John Rawls seeks justice that envelops fairness for all.
You might want to say a bit about how Rawls's version of social contract theory is both similar to AND different from those offered by his philosophical precursors such as Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau. And, maybe a bit more about the "difference principle"-the idea that inequalities are acceptable only insofar as they benefit even the least-well off in society. In light of that, what kinds of inequality that currently exist in our society do you think would be compatible with Rawls' theory of justice? Would vast wealth for celebrities and athletes, for instance, be acceptable? Would the relatively low incomes afforded public school teachers be? What do you imagine the deliberators behind the "veil" might say about that?
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