John Rawls

to great thinkers such as Aristotle. We may now ask, how would two modern, influential, political theorists respond to this notion? John Rawls’ “Justice as Fairness” and Robert Nozick’s “Anarchy, State, and Utopia” present theories that we can use to determine and make assumptions as to how these two figures would respond. John Rawls’, “Justice as Fairness.” Rawls’ presents an account of justice in the form of two principles: (1) liberty principle= people’s “equal basic liberties” — such as…

order to maintain the advantage of the ruling class (or upper class). However, social institutions should represent the interests of the whole society, instead of a certain part of the society, in an ideally just society. The political philosophers John Rawls and Robert Nozick offer quite different answers to these types of…

When setting up a just society, which value should be of utmost importance: liberty, fairness, happiness, or security? Upon examining Thomas Hobbes, John Stuart Mill, and John Rawls, we notice that all three were philosophers of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism focuses that the happiness and general well-being of the majority should take priority over an individual; however, Utilitarianism also attempts to define the capacity of freedom of an individual’s liberty under sovereign authority. From…

In an Egalitarian society, when it comes to justice, equality and basic human rights come to mind. Now, when I think of John Rawls, I think of a liberal egalitarian. Similar, yes. Moreover, liberal egalitarianism is more encouraging, if you will. Why? Fairness. Rawls provides a theory called justice as fairness. Within this theory, he presents two principles of justice. Principles in which, human beings can refer to when decisions are to be made, for instance, decisions on the constitution, laws…

When examining the question of whether John Rawls would consider Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s ideal society in the Social Contract fair, it is important to not only understand Rousseau’s ideal society more closely, but also understand what Rawls defines as being fair. First, the society that Rousseau proposes as the ideal one is based off of his concept of the nature of men. Men are born free and it is society that enslaves them, therefore, the goal of his ideal society is one that protects the…

When John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice emerged into the realm of political philosophy in 1971, it not only breathed life into modern-day liberalism but it also inspired the rise of sharp criticism, as philosophy often is wont to do, from different political morals. Included in that mo-saic of contrasting views is modern-day communitarianism. Drawing primarily upon the insights from renowned philosophers Aristotle and Hegel, communitarians place a greater emphasis on the role of the community in…

of unity given that it has minimal conflict, and that it is governed by an order defined with just principles. When determining the organization of a society, the goal is that it would function systematically and morally. In A Theory of Justice, John Rawls introduces his concepts with the idea that society is not stagnant for it is constantly substituted with new, and theoretically better ideas that stop us from reaching a final unjust social agreement. He also argues that the natural liberty is…

Rawls advises that if people would choose a different principle to regulate liberty, such as from a position of self-interest, then the result would be discrimination against some people viz., those who are not like oneself. The subsequent situation would then be an approval of a reduced liberty for everyone. Therefore, by using the veil of ignorance, and justifying that the people in the original position are “rational and mutually disinterested,” Rawls is able to answer the objection of…

recommended that Rawls Theory of Justice would be appropriate. Normative theory Chapter 7 Business Ethics by Crane and Matten states that fair wage for employees are determined based on the expectations they are hired under, hours of work, performance towards goals, responsibility for assets, meeting assets etc. (Business Ethics, pp. 311-3) In this case, the extra pay for James it questioned, as annual soccer tournament is not part company’s goas or part of his work. “John Rawls was a…

impoverished. On the other hand, many non-Aboriginal politicians tend to ignore the claims of the indigenous people and the poverty crisis they are in. John Rawls and Robert Nozick are the two political thinkers who could be discussed to analyze the question of whether or not the circumstances of the Aboriginal people are just. In his work, Rawls emphasizes the importance of distributive state with…