John Rawls – Justice as Fairness
UPSC PSIR | Contemporary Political Theory | Liberal Egalitarianism
1️⃣ INTRODUCTION
John Rawls (1921–2002) revived political philosophy in the 20th century.
Major work: A Theory of Justice (1971)
Justice is fairness.
2️⃣ ORIGINAL POSITION
Rawls proposes a hypothetical situation:
- People choose principles of justice
- They do not know their social position
This ensures fairness.
3️⃣ VEIL OF IGNORANCE
Individuals do not know:
- Their class
- Their gender
- Their talent
- Their religion
This prevents biased decision-making.
4️⃣ TWO PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE
First Principle:
- Equal basic liberties for all
Second Principle:
- Social & economic inequalities allowed only if:
- They benefit the least advantaged (Difference Principle)
- Positions open under fair equality of opportunity
5️⃣ DIFFERENCE PRINCIPLE
Inequality is acceptable only if it improves condition of worst-off.
Rawls rejects strict equality but supports distributive justice.
6️⃣ PRIORITY OF LIBERTY
Liberty cannot be sacrificed for economic gain.
First principle has lexical priority.
7️⃣ CRITICISM
- Too idealistic
- Ignores real-world power structures
- Communitarian critique (Sandel)
- Libertarian critique (Nozick)
📝 MAINS QUESTIONS
- Explain Rawls’ concept of original position.
- Discuss the Difference Principle.
- Critically evaluate Rawls’ theory of justice.
QUICK REVISION MAP
- Original position
- Veil of ignorance
- Two principles
- Difference principle
- Priority of liberty
Justice = Fair rules chosen under equality
Shaktimatha Learning – Contemporary Political Theory Series
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