John Rawls: A Theory of Justice

Ethics
Joharel S. Escobia
 Biography

 John Bordley Rawls was born and schooled in Baltimore,

Maryland, USA.

 After teaching at Cornell and MIT, Rawls took up a

position in the philosophy department at Harvard in 1962.
There he remained, being named a University Professor in
1979.
 The initial publication of A Theory of Justice in 1971
brought Rawls considerable renown. This complex book,
which reveals Rawls’s thorough study of economics as
well as his internalization of themes from the philosophers
covered in his teaching, has since been translated into 27
languages.
John Rawls
 A Theory of Justice

“Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of

systems of thought. A theory however elegant and
economical must be rejected or revised if it is untrue;
likewise laws and institutions no matter how efficient and
well-arranged must be reformed or abolished if they are
unjust.” (TJ, 3)
“Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice
that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override.
For this reason justice denies that the loss of freedom for
some is made right by a greater good shared by others. It
does not allow that the sacrifices imposed on a few are
outweighed by the larger sum of advantages enjoyed by
many.” (TJ, 3)

 Critique of Utilitarianism
“A set of principles is required for choosing among the
various social arrangements which determine this division
of advantages and for underwriting an agreement on the
proper distributive shares. These principles are the
principles of social justice: they provide a way of assigning
rights and duties in the basic institutions of society and they
define the appropriate distribution of the benefits and
burdens of social cooperation.” (TJ, 4)
“For us the primary subject of justice is the basic structure
of society, or more exactly, the way in which the major
social institutions distribute fundamental rights and duties
and determine the division of advantages from social
cooperation.” (TJ, 6)
“By major institutions I understand the political constitution
and the principal economic and social arrangements. Thus
the legal protection of freedom of thought and liberty of
conscience, competitive markets, private property in the
means of production, and the monogamous family are
examples of major social institutions.” (TJ, 6).
 Veil of Ignorance
“Among the essential features of this situation is that no one
knows his place in society, his class position or social status,
nor does any one know his fortune in the distribution of
natural assets and abilities, his intelligence, strength, and the
like. I shall even assume that the parties do not know their
conceptions of the good or their special psychological
propensities. The principles of justice are chosen behind a
veil of ignorance.” (TJ, 11)
“This ensures that no one is advantaged or disadvantaged in
the choice of principles by the outcome of natural chance or
the contingency of social circumstances. Since all are
similarly situated and no one is able to design principles to
favor his particular condition, the principles of justice are
the result of a fair agreement or bargain.” (TJ, 11).
 The Two Principles of Justice

 The first statement of the two principles reads as follows.

 First: each person is to have an equal right to the most
extensive scheme of equal basic liberties compatible with a
similar scheme of liberties for others. ( The Liberty Principle)
 Second: social and economic inequalities are to be
arranged so that they are both (a) reasonably expected to
be to everyone’s advantage, and (b) attached to positions
and offices open to all. (The Difference Principle)
 The priority of liberty means that no person is to be
subordinated to the ends of other men as each person is an
end in itself.
 Liberty is inviolable.

 The autonomy or liberty of the individual constitutes his

moral value.
 A liberal state guarantees the autonomy of each person, but
he or she must not undermine the liberty of others nor
exploit others to his or her advantage (Maboloc, 68).
 The second principle, the fair opportunity principle and
difference principle, considers how social primary goods
like income, opportunity, and the basis of self-respect, can
be distributed from a just social arrangement.
 People can pursue their life plans and profit from the same,
but they must contribute through taxes to serve the worst
off, so that the worst may have the opportunity to improve
their lives. This is what the famous difference principle
calls for (Maboloc, 69).
 Fairness in the liberal sense means that justice is served
when we treat people as equals. Equality here is construed
as morally significant and inviolable.

 Thus, any person who may have an advantage in view of

his talent can still pursue his life-plans as long as the
inequality brought about by a person’s abilities ultimately
favors the worst off (Ibid).