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PHI 173: Justice and Society Lehman College Spring 2019 Online John Rawls After political philosophy found itself in a lull, Rawls revived the discipline with his works on justice, with the publication of his book A Theory of Justice in the US in 1971. The significant work outlines a complete theory of justice and what is necessary to achieve it. Justice as Fairness A simple way to put Rawls’s theory of justice is that justice is essentially fairness. In order for a just society, people living in it have to be treated fairly. Please watch the following video to get an idea of what the reality he’s basing this theory on may look like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBQx8FmOT_0 This video portraits inequalities that exist because of certain social circumstances and oppression (we will go over institutional and systemic oppression later in the course). How do we attempt to rectify this divide because of the privileged and the less well off? Rawls supports the idea that justice is fairness, so, what exactly is fairness? If I have ten dollars that I have to give to two of my friends, it might seem like it would be most fair to give five dollars to each; I wouldn’t be treating one differently from the other. However, one of the friends mentioned recently that they’re struggling to afford breakfast every morning before going to work. The other friend has a job as a consultant and though has previously experienced financial hardship because of his upbringing, he has persevered through these challenges and attained this high-paying job. In this situation, Rawls wouldn’t give $5 to each friend. Instead, he would give that $10 to the friend who’s going through a tough financial period and not give the affluent friend any of the sum. This example illustrates the difference between equality (dividing it equally into $5/person) and equity (weighing the differences in order to put them on closer grounds). This is along the lines of what Rawls presents in his text. Reflective Equilibrium Reflective equilibrium is the deliberation that takes place when considering certain judgements and principles. Through deliberation, we are able to consider the best practices to take in order to even the scale in given situations, or make another kind of judgement about what is just in a specific situation. When applying reflective equilibrium to social situations, we must take into account the situations of those involved, their backgrounds, goals, etc. We may have certain

moral principles/principles of the good in mind (ie. education is a societal good) – and then look at particular situations – (public schools in poorer areas may is not very strong) – and then consider the principle and situation together (ie. more support must be given to public schools in these areas in order to promote better education, which will in turn help the society to prosper). Rawls proposes this as a good method for determining practices to take in a society. Two Principles of Justice Rawls outlines two principles of justice:

1. The Principle of Equal Liberty: everyone in a society has an equal right to the most extensive liberties compatible with similar liberties to all (ie. egalitarianism; no one is more entitled than another).

2. The Difference Principle: social and economic inequalities (ie. those in less privileged positions due to social circumstances) should be arranged so that they are both (a) to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged persons, and (b) attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of equality of opportunity.

Political Liberalism In his later book, Political Liberalism, Rawls argues for a political liberalist society. In a diverse society, citizens’ views, values, and beliefs can vary drastically, as do their ideas of “the good” (Rawls’s focus. I’m bringing this into slightly different terms). A politically liberal society will recognize the diversity of thought and believes and respect this diversity. It will work with the different ideas of the good present in the society, and a government is to remain neutral in regards to them (ie. not favor a particular religion, lifestyle, identity, etc. over another). It shall take the varying beliefs into account and make its decision based on transcendent idea of the good that Rawls thinks can exist through following his principles of justice and broader outline of justice given in his first book). This should be compatible, he claims, with this two principles of justice. Conclusion If this reading seems difficult to grasp, that’s because it is. Rawls is not the easiest read, but sets the stage for all political and social philosophy that came after him, leading into today’s world. Bonus discussion board assignment! Do some research on Rawls’s “veil of ignorance” and explain what it is in your discussion board post, and how it is a political concept.