Veil of ignorance

1.1 Thesis question John Rawls and Robert Nozick were among the greatest political philosophers of the 20th century. Both philosophers brought forth their own ideal theory. Both philosophers had their own set of theories of what an ideal society should look like. Secondly, I will compare and contrast both the political theories with an emphasis on their understanding of freedom and justice. Thereafter, I will examine which of these theories are best suited to support the political system we find…

not escape the realm of American literature in the mid-nineteenth century. Up until then, before America had even established its independence from England, many approached the debate of nature versus urban society through the veil of pastoral ideologies. Through this veil, authors often described a simple country life as more preferable to the…

What is justice? The common good? Are they just words of idealistic thinking, or do they have a deeper meaning? The way of life is difficult and full of fright. One of the new ways to think of this problem is communitarianism. It is a political ideology that is not only critical of classical liberalism, but a better way of life for humans to live and understand the freedoms that they deserve. Freedom and justice for the individual are something that communitarianism thrives on, unlike other…

“ (Shakry, p. 126) However, woman were thought to be ignorant, backward and unsuited for the responsibility of shaping the future population. For example, mothers were thought to be responsible for the high rate of infant mortality due to their ignorance on matters of health and hygiene. Earl of Cromer elaborates, “The position of women in Egypt is an obstacle to the attainment of the elevation of thought and character which should accompany the introduction of European civilization, if that…

The philosophers and political researchers Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri also have a philosophical theory about a type of human interaction which extends past globalization, which they call Empire. However, it does not adopt the same generally positive and optimistic tone that Appiah takes. Instead, their view is that this tend towards increased interdependency has began the creation of a homogeneous, monolithic power structure known as Empire. At the outset, this view of power relates to…

John Rawls was born in 1921, he was recognized as a huge leading proponent of liberalism, which is belief in the value of social and political change in order to achieve progress. (Johnson Encyclopedia). It is to believed that there are two important life events that shaped Rawls’s philosophical work. He lost two younger brothers, one to diphtheria and the other to pneumonia. He also serves as in soldier in the pacific during the last two years of World War II. “These experiences also most…

John Rawls is an Egalitarian, which is someone that stresses the importance of equal access and opportunity to primary goods, such as shelter and education. They believe that the income gap in today’s world should be reduced to the extent that justice is present in society; this requires all people to have a fair opportunity to fulfill their fundamental needs. Rawls argues that people can distributive justice can be obtained if everyone obtains basic liberties and fair equality of opportunity.…

An Amorous Intrusion The fear of people and ideals foreign to what we know often results in a detrimental division. “The Smallest Woman in the World”, a short story written by Clarice Lispector, follows a European explorer on an expedition through the Congo. He comes across the smallest woman in the world, who he names Little Flower. A striking image of Little Flower soon spreads across the globe. Through Lispector’s omniscient narrator, the audience experiences the innermost thoughts of people…

Marx, Karl. “After the Revolution.” In Princeton Readings in Political Thought. Edited by Mitchell Cohen and Nicole Fermon. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996. This very short essay, from the much longer “Critique of the Gotha Program,” highlights some of the key concepts of Marx’ ideas about the situation society would be in directly following the dissolution of capitalism. This is where the concepts of each according to his ability, to each according to his work, and “From…

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is one of the most famous stories of European imperialism in Africa and the horrors that came with it. The novella shows the dehumanization of the Africans by the Europeans and how the Europeans are going insane in the Congo The main character, Marlow, is searching for the elusive Mr. Kurtz. While traveling in the Congo, most of the people he meets compliment Mr. Kurtz one way or another. There are many people jealous of the success because Mr. Kurtz is known…