John Rawls Original Position
1. Summarise Rawls’ view on “Original Position”
In Theory of Justice, John Rawls says: “In working out the conception of justice as fairness one main task clearly is to determine which principles of justice would be chosen in the original position. To do this we must describe this situation in some detail and formulate with care the problem of choice which it presents.”
In John Rawls’ social contract account of justice, “justice as fairness,” in A Theory of Justice, the original position is a central feature. The original point is set to be adopted in the way we reason about the fundamental principles of justice, and need to be fair and an impartial view thereof. Once we take up this point of view, we step into the role of free and equal persons who all agree and commit themselves to certain principles of political and social justice. “The veil of ignorance” is the main distinguishing feature and it insures impartial judgement by depriving the parties of all knowledge of their personal characteristics and historical and social circumstances. The fundamental interests they have will be known, as well as general facts about biology, psychology, economics and other natural and social sciences. The parties in the original position will be assigned to choose the conception of justice that best motivates their interests in established conditions that help them pursue their fundamental interests and goals in the list of alternatives of main ideas of justice, which is taken from the tradition of social and political philosophy. The most rational choice for everyone in the original position, says Rawls, is one of the two principles of justice.
It is guaranteed, in the first principle, which basic liberties and rights are needed to secure the fundamental interests of equal and free citizens and to follow a “wide range of conceptions of the good.” In the second principle, fair equality of educational and employment opportunities are provided, which enables everyone
In Theory of Justice, John Rawls says: “In working out the conception of justice as fairness one main task clearly is to determine which principles of justice would be chosen in the original position. To do this we must describe this situation in some detail and formulate with care the problem of choice which it presents.”
In John Rawls’ social contract account of justice, “justice as fairness,” in A Theory of Justice, the original position is a central feature. The original point is set to be adopted in the way we reason about the fundamental principles of justice, and need to be fair and an impartial view thereof. Once we take up this point of view, we step into the role of free and equal persons who all agree and commit themselves to certain principles of political and social justice. “The veil of ignorance” is the main distinguishing feature and it insures impartial judgement by depriving the parties of all knowledge of their personal characteristics and historical and social circumstances. The fundamental interests they have will be known, as well as general facts about biology, psychology, economics and other natural and social sciences. The parties in the original position will be assigned to choose the conception of justice that best motivates their interests in established conditions that help them pursue their fundamental interests and goals in the list of alternatives of main ideas of justice, which is taken from the tradition of social and political philosophy. The most rational choice for everyone in the original position, says Rawls, is one of the two principles of justice.
It is guaranteed, in the first principle, which basic liberties and rights are needed to secure the fundamental interests of equal and free citizens and to follow a “wide range of conceptions of the good.” In the second principle, fair equality of educational and employment opportunities are provided, which enables everyone