John Rawls’s Concept of Justice as Fairness

Edor J Edor

doi:10.26858/pdr.v4i1.16387

Abstract

John Rawls's theory of Justice is one of the most influential conceptions of justice. Scholars have continued to study it to understand the principles in the formation and to further frame it in the context of contemporary situations. This paper contributes to the ongoing discussion by presenting Rawls’ concept of “justice as fairness” as it evolved from the traditional conception of justice to the modern-shift in the concept. The paper also examines Rawls’s concept of justice as fairness, and it focuses on analyzing or studying the concept of justice as fairness in terms of the principles used in its formulations. Several criticisms developed by political philosophers to critique the idea were examined. In conclusion, it was argued that Rawls's invention of the veil-of-ignorance for the original position has affected the theory negatively.

Highlights

Philosophers, since ancient times, have continued to tinker on the notion of justice
This paper contributes to the ongoing discussion by presenting Rawls' concept of “justice as fairness” as it evolved from the traditional conception of justice to the modern shift in the concept
For a conception of justice, prevents the reliance on natural endowments and the contingencies of social circumstance in a quest for political and economic advantage, it will lead to these principles of justice as fairness: the first requiring equality in the assignment of basic rights and duties, and the second upholding social and economic inequalities as just only if they result in compensating benefits for all, the least advantaged members of society (Rawls 1999, pp. 13 - 4)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Philosophers, since ancient times, have continued to tinker on the notion of justice. Rawls argued that many different things can be said to be just and unjust, his concept of justice as fairness is based on the idea that “the primary subject of justice is the basic structure of society, or more exactly, how the major social institutions distribute fundamental rights and duties and determine the division of advantages from social cooperation” For a conception of justice, prevents the reliance on natural endowments and the contingencies of social circumstance in a quest for political and economic advantage, it will lead to these principles of justice as fairness: the first requiring equality in the assignment of basic rights and duties, and the second upholding social and economic inequalities as just only if they result in compensating benefits for all, the least advantaged members of society For a conception of justice, prevents the reliance on natural endowments and the contingencies of social circumstance in a quest for political and economic advantage, it will lead to these principles of justice as fairness: the first requiring equality in the assignment of basic rights and duties, and the second upholding social and economic inequalities as just only if they result in compensating benefits for all, the least advantaged members of society (Rawls 1999, pp. 13 - 4)

A CRITIQUE

CONCLUSION