A Theory of Justice: Original EditionJohn Rawls aims to express an essential part of the common core of the democratic tradition—justice as fairness—and to provide an alternative to utilitarianism, which had dominated the Anglo-Saxon tradition of political thought since the nineteenth century. Rawls substitutes the ideal of the social contract as a more satisfactory account of the basic rights and liberties of citizens as free and equal persons. “Each person,” writes Rawls, “possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override.” Advancing the ideas of Rousseau, Kant, Emerson, and Lincoln, Rawls’s theory is as powerful today as it was when first published. |
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... a certain way . For example , we are confident that religious intolerance and racial discrimination are unjust . We think that we have examined these things with care and have reached what we believe is 19 4. The Original Position.
... is also an intuitive notion that suggests its own elaboration , so that led on by it we are drawn to define more clearly the standpoint from which we can best interpret moral relationships . We 21 4. The Original Position.
... original position would not choose the principle of utility to define the terms of social cooperation . This is a difficult question which I shall examine later on . It is perfectly possible , from all that one knows at this point ...
... positions in society they surely will not . Thus I suppose that in the original position the parties try to reach some agreement as to how the principles of justice are to be balanced . Now part of the value of the notion of choosing ...
... original position , there would be strong reasons for accepting it , since it is rational to introduce further coherence into our common convictions of justice . Indeed , once we look at things from the standpoint of the initial ...