A Theory Of Justice By John Rawls Essay - 909 Words

In my discussion of this piece of text I will attempt to present an argument which suggests rational individuals behind a veil of ignorance would assent to the two primary principles of justice found in Rawls’ ‘A theory of justice’. I will also analyse the extract, in particular debating whether various propositions made by Rawls in this extract are true. Initially it is important to situate the extract of discussion. Section 3 of ‘A theory of justice’ is the opening of Rawls’ argument in ‘A theory of justice’, where he introduces his ‘original position’, stating how rational individuals in a hypothetical scenario, behind a veil of ignorance, would agree to two principles of justice which would determine the way social institutions would be organised and how primary goods would be distributed. This section also shows Rawls’ agreement with the idea of ‘hypothetical consent’, an idea which suggests t hat because free and rational individuals behind a veil of ignorance would agree to Rawls’ two principles of social justice; they hypothetically consent to the principles of the ‘social contract’. Initially I will analyse this extract in detail, focusing the claims and propositions made by Rawls. Rawls claims that â€Å"no society can...be a scheme of cooperation which men enter voluntarily†. Rawls belief in this leads to his agreement with the idea of hypothetical consent, however, what if it is possible for society to be a scheme of voluntary consent, perhaps taking part in a voteShow MoreRelatedA Theory of Justice by John Rawls771 Words   |  3 PagesOriginal Position â€Æ' John Rawls discusses the original position in his book A Theory of Justice. â€Å"The Original Position and Justification† is a chapter where Rawls persuades his readers into taking the original position seriously. The original position is a position where people are equal and are rational in order to make principles that they live by fair. However, there is a problem with rational decisions being biased, where people will choose principles to benefit themselves. Therefore, the veilRead MoreJohn Rawls : A Theory Of Justice Essay1339 Words   |  6 Pages John Rawls is a world renowned, American political philosopher of the twentieth century. His views on the state of nature, society, and politics were much more distinct from previous philosophers, and his more modern or progressive life experiences can contribute to the separation between him and others, such as Aristotle, Hobbes, or Rousseau. However, he does have certain ideas and point of views that correlate with the view s of those that Immanuel Kant expresses, and more specifically Rawls wasRead MoreA Theory of Justice by John Rawls900 Words   |  4 Pagespassage of A Theory of Justice by John Rawls, he says that â€Å"No one knows his place in society, his class position or social status, nor does anyone 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† (Cahn, 137 – 138). Throughout the entire passage moral theories, specifically about justice are discussed, Rawls explainsRead MoreA Theory of Justice by John Rawls526 Words   |  2 Pagescontext of international relations and economic development, the demands of global justice remain controversial in terms of the relationships between affluent societies and less well-off ones. Many questions have been raised in regard of what distributive justice e ntails, what duty of assistance it requires, how much is owed, and to whom. In A Theory of Justice, John Rawls attempts to identify what principle of justice rational agents would choose if they were placed behind the â€Å"veil of ignorance†:Read MoreJohn Rawls : A Theory Of Justice Essay1726 Words   |  7 Pages1a. In John Rawls: A theory of justice, Rawls state that you must imagine yourself in an original position behind a veil of ignorance. I would say another word for the veil of ignorance can be the curtain of the unknown. I would say the curtain of the unknown because the veil of ignorance is just like a curtain that is put up and behind it no one knows who they are. No one knows their race, their wealth status, their intelligence, their assets, nationality, etc. You know nothing about yourself orRead MoreA Theory Of Justice By John Rawls781 Words   |  4 Pagescite needed. Modern-day communitarianism began in the upper reaches of Anglo-American academia in the fo rm of a critical reaction to John Rawls landmark 1971 book A Theory of Justice (Rawls 1971). Drawing primarily upon the insights of Aristotle and Hegel, political philosophers such as Alasdair MacIntyre, Michael Sandel, Charles Taylor and Michael Walzer disputed Rawls assumption that the principal task of government is to secure and distribute fairly the liberties and economic resources individualsRead MoreA Theory Of Justice John Rawls Analysis1218 Words   |  5 PagesRawls: A Theory Of Justice John Rawls was an influential moral and political thinker in 20th century philosophy. He was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, studied at Princeton and Oxford, and worked at MIT, Cornell, and finally Harvard where he taught for over thirty years. Two of his younger brothers contracted deadly diseases from him (diphtheria and pneumonia) and died. Surprisingly, Rawls remained a Christian. He wrote an intensely religious senior thesis in college and even consideredRead MoreJohn Rawls s Theory Of Justice1471 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Rawls â€Å"A Theory of Justice.† John Rawls was an American political and moral philosopher. Rawls attempts to determine the principles of social justice. In this essay, I will elucidate John Rawls’ views on forming a social contract, the counter-arguments against Rawls’ theory and finally the state of debate on the counter-arguments. John Rawls set out on his discussion on justice and fairness in his book A Theory of Justice 1971. Rawls theory describes a society with free citizens holding equalRead MoreJohn Rawls ´ A Theory of Justice Essay698 Words   |  3 PagesJohn Rawls’ theory of justice is one of the most interesting philosophies to have emerged in modern times. It was introduced in the 1970s when A Theory of Justice was published. It was revised several times, with the most recent done in the year 1999. Essentially, the Rawlsian philosophy approaches justice according to the idea of fairness. The idea is that justice is a complex concept, and it could differ according to individual circumstance. Rawls contended that all of us are ignorant about ourselvesRead MoreJohn Rawls’ A Theory of Justice Essay964 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Rawls’ A Theory of Justice holds that a rational, mutually disinterested individual in the Original Position and given the task of establishing societal rules to maximise their own happiness throughout life, is liable to choose as their principles of justice a) guaranteed fundamental liberties and b) the nullification of social and economic disparities by universal equality of opportunities, which are to be of greatest benefit to the least advantaged members of society , . Rawls’ system of