The Nuptials Between Justice and Law in the Philosophy of John Rawls: It's Impact in Contemporary Political Philosophy

Abstract

John Rawls has made an authorative contribution to contemporary political philosophy by enlightning the interactions between Justice, Law, Citizenship, Government by consent and, fundamentaly, the accountability required to rulers and governments. As a liberal John Rawls stress that in a pluralistic and free society different and contradictory conceptions of Good are acceptable since they accomodate in an overlaping societal consensus about the ends and the Good. The two principles: liberty and difference are tools to keep society open to newcomers and drive the State to concentrate in defending liberty and assuring a fair equality of opportunities. More than that is to open credits for an intolerable interference of the public powers in the freedom of the individuals in the sense he envisage in John Stuart Mill, 'the liberty of enjoyment'. John Rawls was akeen of the terrible methods the communist countries pursued by majorating equality in detriment of individual liberty and its doctrine of Justice is a cry of revolt against that detour. In this paper I look deep in how Rawls the need of Justice in a liberal society with the requirements of a accurate but balanced positive law.