Lesson V:

justice
and
fairness
 ~John rawls
John Bordley Rawls (February
21, 1921 – November 24, 2002)
was an American moral and 
political philosopher in the 
liberal tradition.  Rawls received
both the Schock Prize for Logic
and Philosophy and the 
National Humanities Medal in
1999, the latter presented by
President Bill Clinton, in
recognition of how Rawls' work
"helped a whole generation of
learned Americans revive their
faith in democracy itself."
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 John rawls
Many consider the American 1. Rawls “Justice as
political philosopher Rawls (1921-
2002 ) as the most important Fairness”
political philosopher of the 20th 2. An Evaluation of
century. Rawls rejects
utilitarianism and offers a number Rawls Principles
of arguments against such a theory. 3. Distributive Justice
He argues that utilitarian thinking
cannot absolutely exclude systems 4. State and Citizens
such as slavery or racial Responsibility
segregation there is nothing in the
moral theory to dismiss them from
consideration.

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 1.1 Rawls
“justice as
Fairness”
-> LIBERTY PRINCIPLE
<-
“Each person has the same and
indefeasible [permanent] claim to a fully
adequate scheme of equal basic liberties,
which scheme is compatible with the same
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scheme of liberties for all.”
 1.1 Rawls
“justice as
Fairness”
-> DIFFERENCE
PRINCIPLE <-
“All social and economic inequalities are to satisfy
two conditions (1) first, they are to be attached to
offices and positions open to all under conditions of
fair equality of opportunity; and (2) second, they
are to be the greatest benefit
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of the least-advantaged
1.2 The Thought
Experiment”
The Thought Experiment was not a real assembly
of real people, negotiating over a contract. Instead,
it was just an imagined gathering held under strict
conditions that allowed persons to deliberate, only
by imploring their reason and logic. Their mission
was to assess principles of social justice and select
the best ones. Their decision would be compulsory
on their society forever.
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 2.
An Evaluation
of Rawls
Principles
“One of the criticisms
against Rawls’Justice
as Fairness principles
is that they do not
allow ample tolerance
for various religious
and intensely held
beliefs.”

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 “Others find it
controversial, if not
downright
unacceptable Rawls’
Difference Principle,
the idea that the
greatest benefit must
go to the least
advantaged.”

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 3. Distributive
Justice
Rawls’ Justice as Fairness is an example of
social justice concept called distributive
justice. This concept basically concerns the
nature of a socially just allocation of goods in
a society,
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 Distributive norms
> Equity
> Equality
> Power
> Need
> Responsibility

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3.1 Egalitarian 3.2 Capitalist
- is a set of closely - Laissez-Faire Capitalist
related socio-economic- distributive justice is
political theories that when people, businesses,
without exemption and corporations perform
promote the proposition based on their individual
that all society members self-interest for their own
ought to have exactly benefit.
equal amount of
resources.
“Rawlsian Egalitarianism”

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 Is a system
where the
3.3
government or
Socialis the central
t authority
controls the
production of
goods and
services
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 4. State and Citizens Responsibility
TAXATION Inclusive Growth
- Is a means by which the state Taxation and social welfare
and its citizens accomplish their programs are related to another
responsibilities to each other concept called “Inclusive
Growth”.
- By definition is a means by - it is an economic growth that
which the states or government creates opportunity for all
finance their expenditure, segments of the population and
basically and ideally for distributes the dividends of
constituents, by imposing increased prosperity, both
charges on them and corporate monetary and non monetary
entities terms, fairly across society.

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