Rawls' Theory of Justice as Fairness as Foundation and Challenge for Local Self-Government

Abstract

Rawls' completely original argument of »justice as fairness« is always up to date as modern ethics and political philosophy are faced with the so called procedural ethics where everything is arranged and determined with adequate procedures, legal legislation, acts and regulations, but very often there is a lack of »ethical humus« of why and how these things should be done. Particular situation of a certain local area is often too dependent on capital and under too much pressure by its power. All of the above makes Rawls' theory a great challenge as well as ethical and legal humus of how to form local self-government where all basic principles of fairness, freedom, dignity of every individual and social aspect of interpersonal relations are considered, where there is particular stress on caring for all those who are in the worst position, who are the most fragile, most vulnerable, most overlooked and for whom nobody cares.