The original position is a central feature of John Rawls’s social contract account of justice, “justice as fairness
What is the original position according to Rawls quizlet?
original position. –
state of nature
in social contract theory. -hypothetical situation in which parties come together to choose principles of justice to regulate the basic structure of society. -goal of the parties is to get the greatest amount of primary goods.
What is meant by original position?
The original position (OP), often referred to as the veil of ignorance, is
a thought experiment used for reasoning about the principles that should structure a society based on solidarity
. … The original position figures prominently in Rawls’s 1971 book, A Theory of Justice.
Why was John Rawls original position reflective of Kantian moral philosophy?
Kantian Influence and Interpretation of the Original Position. Rawls had
long admired Immanuel Kant’s moral philosophy
, making it central to his teaching of the subject. … By insisting, as against utilitarianism, on the “separateness of persons,” Rawls carries on Kant’s theme of respect for persons.
What assumptions does Rawls make about of the agents occupying the original position?
Agents reasoning from the original position are assumed to be rational in the prudential sense. They seek to maximize their own interests.
The principles of justice selected from the original position are chosen behind a veil of ignorance
.
What defines a good society according to Rawls?
Rawls’s conception of society is defined by
fairness
: social institutions are to be fair to all cooperating members of society, regardless of their race, gender, religion, class of origin, natural talents, reasonable conception of the good life, and so on. Rawls also emphasizes publicity as an aspect of fairness.
What are the two principles that Rawls says we would choose behind the veil of ignorance?
Two primary principles supplement Rawls’ veil of ignorance:
the liberty principle and the difference principle
. According to the liberty principle, the social contract should try to ensure that everyone enjoys the maximum liberty possible without intruding upon the freedom of others.
What does Rawls mean by the original position?
In John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice treatise, the ‘original position’ was defined as
a pre-political abstraction from reality in which a group of people who know nothing about themselves, such as their age, gender, or even names, are asked to choose principles of
justice that could serve as the standard for a …
What is original position in Rawls theory of justice?
The original position is a central feature of John Rawls’s social contract account of justice, “justice as fairness,” set forth in A Theory of Justice (TJ). The original position is designed to be
a fair and impartial point of view that is to be adopted
in our reasoning about fundamental principles of justice.
What is Rawls veil of ignorance?
Rawls suggests that
you imagine yourself in an original position behind a
veil of ignorance. Behind this veil, you know nothing of yourself and your natural abilities, or your position in society. … Behind such a veil of ignorance all individuals are simply specified as rational, free, and morally equal beings.
When for Rawls is an injustice tolerable?
The only thing that permits us to acquiesce in an erroneous theory is the lack of a better one; analogously, an injustice is tolerable
only when it is necessary to avoid an even greater injustice
.
What are the 3 principles of justice?
The three principles that our justice system seeks to reflect are:
equality, fairness and access
. Equality is defined in the dictionary as ‘the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities.
Is justice the same as fairness?
While justice usually has been used with reference to a
standard of rightness
, fairness often has been used with regard to an ability to judge without reference to one’s feelings or interests; fairness has also been used to refer to the ability to make judgments that are not overly general but that are concrete and …
What are the two principles of justice Rawls?
Finally, Rawls ranked his principles of social justice in the order of their priority.
The First Principle (“basic liberties”) holds priority over the Second Principle
. The first part of the Second Principle (“fair equality of opportunity”) holds priority over the second part (Difference Principle).
What is the main idea behind the Liberty principle of Rawls?
Rawls’s particular principle of liberty is characterized by four ideas: (a) the greatest possible liberty, (b) the superioriry of liberry over all other ends and rights, (c)
the equal entitlement of all citizens to liberty
, and finally (d) a preferred list of basic liberties.
What is the difference principle of Rawls?
Rawls’s difference principle requires that
economic systems be organized so that the least advantaged members of society are better off than they would be in any alternative economic arrangement
.
