JOHN RAWLS:-

John Rawls begins his book by inviting the reader to consider a hypothetical situation
where a group of people meet to work out a fair social system. Rawls realizes that
judgments about gender, wealth, race and beauty may unfairly bias how individuals place
themselves within such a system. No one should be advantaged or disadvantaged by
natural fortune or social circumstances in the choice of principles. !e suggests a veil of
ignorance to allow the group to enter into a social contract totally without prejudice. !e
surmises that since each person considers the possibility that he"she might have the
lowest position in the group, that each person will work to create a system where
everyone is treated fairly. Rawls argues that every person in a society has an interest to
what he calls primary goods. #o put it briefly, the good is the satisfaction of rational
desire. #hese public primary goods include many things, rights, liberties, powers,
income and wealth.
Rawls concludes with two principles$
%. !is e&ual basic liberties principle states that each person has an e&ual right to a fully
ade&uate scheme of e&ual basic liberties which is compatible with a similar scheme of
liberties for all.
'. (ocial and economic ine&ualities are to satisfy two conditions$
)i* +ne&uities must be attached to offices and positions open to all under
conditions of fair e&uality of opportunity, )fair equality of opportunity principle*.
)ii* -hen ine&uities e.ist due to some social necessity, they must be to the
greatest benefit of the least advantaged members of society )difference principle*.
Critics of John Rawls
/galitarians have argued that the theory is not egalitarian enough. Nussbaum
)'000* notes that Rawls1 difference principle applies on to inde.es of income and wealth
and not to social biases. (he states, 2ne might argue, however that gays and lesbians in
our own society, while not the least well off with regard to income and wealth, are very
badly off with regard to the social bases of self3respect, in that such fundamental social
institutions such as marriage deny their worth.
4ibertarians argue that Rawls goes too far. Nozick )%567* had criticized Rawls on
his egalitarian orientation especially with regard to money and property. Nozick discusses
the problem of private property and income obtained by legal means within a democratic
society. Rawls draws a distinction between productive property and personal property.
+n Rawls1s theory there is no basic structure right of private ownership and
management,8ownership of personal property8 )is* a protected basic liberty under the
first principle of justice. Rawls leaves sticky issues of productive
property to be decided by the legislatures and courts in a democratic society.
9ommunitarians, a liberal reaction to Rawls, criticize him on several issues. #hey
contend that Rawls1 classical philosophy rests on an individual basis, with citizens in a
society concerned with their own individual plans. !e neglects the fact that our selves
tend to be defined or constituted by various communal attachments )e.g., ties to the
family or to a religious tradition* so close to us that they can only be set aside at great
cost. 9ommunitarians also contend that Rawls underestimates the degree to
which members promote diversity and individual freedom.