What is Rawls political philosophy?

Rawls’s theory of “justice as fairness” recommends equal basic liberties, equality of opportunity, and facilitating the maximum benefit to the least advantaged members of society in any case where inequalities may occur.

What is Rawlsian theory?

Rawls’s theory of justice revolves around the adaptation of two fundamental principles of justice which would, in turn, guarantee a just and morally acceptable society. The first principle guarantees the right of each person to have the most extensive basic liberty compatible with the liberty of others.

What does Rawls say about utilitarianism?

The utilitarian idea, as Rawls confronts it, is that society is to be arranged so as to maximize (the total or average) aggregate utility or expected well-being. Utilitarianism historically dominated the landscape of moral philosophy, often being “refuted,” but always rising again from the ashes.

Why is Rawls theory important?

Rawls’s theory of justice aims to constitute a system to ensure the fair distribution of primary social goods. This system requires the establishment of institutions to distribute primary social goods according to the principles of justice and fairness.

What is Contractarianism theory?

“Contractarianism” names both a political theory of the legitimacy of political authority and a moral theory about the origin or legitimate content of moral norms. The moral theory of contractarianism claims that moral norms derive their normative force from the idea of contract or mutual agreement.

Why did Rawls not like utilitarianism?

Rawls’s main argument against utilitarianism was that, for such reasons, the representative parties in the original position will not choose utilitarianism, but will rather choose his justice as fairness, which he believed would securely protect the worth of everybody’s basic rights and liberties.

What does Rawls say about inequality?

He is saying that the vast inequalities of wealth and position we observe stem primarily from advantages for which people can’t take credit; this is his idea that “no one deserves his starting place.” Behind a pre-birth veil of ignorance, therefore, Rawls suggests that we would agree these inequalities are just only if …

How does John Rawls philosophy differ from utilitarian philosophy?

In contrast to the utilitarian, for Rawls political philosophy is not simply applied moral philosophy. The utilitarian holds to one universal moral principle (“maximize utility”), which she applies to individual actions, political constitutions, international relations, and all other subjects as required.

Can a Rawlsian argument be used to defend classical liberalism?

The answer is that Rawlsian arguments can be used to defend classical liberalism. In fact, there are two distinct, contrasting, and somewhat incompatible methods of grounding classical liberal institutions in Rawlsian political philosophy.

What was Rawls solution to the problem of legitimacy?

Rawls’s solution to the challenge of legitimacy in a liberal society is for political power to be exercised in accordance with a political conception of justice. A political conception of justice is an interpretation of the fundamental ideas implicit in that society’s public political culture.

Who was John Rawls and what did he do?

Theorist of the contract, this work is considered today in the United States as a classic of political philosophy and often as the greatest book of the contemporary philosophy. John Rawls founded his thought on his readings : mostly Aristotle and the classics of English political philosophy ( Locke, Hume, Hobbes ).