On the turn of self-respect toward its social basis in the primary social good

Abstract

Rawls once regarded self-respect as one of the most important primary social goods, but eventually it turns to the social basis of self-respect. Rawls realized that self-respect as a subjective evaluative cannot be assigned as a social fundamental good. To protect people's self-respect, society needs to provide a social basic structure that is conducive to the formation and cultivation of self-respect, and this social basic structure is in line with the principle of justice proposed by Rawls.