A Theory of Justice

A Theory of Justice is a book of political and moral philosophy by John Rawls. It was originally published in 1971 and revised in 1975 (for the translated editions) and in 1999. In A Theory of Justice, Rawls lays out his own moral theory, called "Justice as Fairness", and his two famous principles of justice, the liberty principle and the difference principle.

The "Original Position"

Like Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Kant, Rawls belongs to the social contract tradition. However, Rawls' social contract takes a slightly different form from that of previous thinkers. Specifically, Rawls posits that a just social contract is that which we would agree upon if we did not know in advance where we ourselves would end up in the society that we are agreeing to. This condition of ignorance is known as the original position. In the original position, each person would not know her financial situation, her race, her creed, her religion, or her state of health. From behind this veil of ignorance (to use Rawls' phrase), we can discern the form of a truly just society, since our judgment would not be clouded by knowledge of our own personal interests. Rawls' social contract is ratified in a condition of perfect equality.

Related Topics:
Hobbes - Locke - Rousseau - Kant - Social contract - Original position - Veil of ignorance

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It is important to keep in mind that Rawls is writing a book of philosophy, not history. The original position never occurred; it is simply a thought experiment to allow us to discover the nature of justice.

Related Topics:
Philosophy - History - Thought experiment - Justice

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Rawls then deduces that a just society would be based on two principles.

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