Justice as Fairness: Rawls on the Original Position, Difference Principle, and Political Liberalism

Steps

1. 1
   Reading· ~13 min

   Justice as Fairness: The Original Position and the Veil of Ignorance

   Rawls's *A Theory of Justice* (1971) is the most important work of political philosophy in the twentieth century and the most ambitious attempt to give a systematic, principled account of social justice since Mill. Its central device, the original position behind the veil of ignorance, is both philosophically ingenious and practically contentious.

   Click to start path →

2. Reading· ~12 min

   The Two Principles of Justice and the Difference Principle

   Rawls argues that behind the veil of ignorance, rational parties would select two specific principles of justice. The first principle guarantees equal basic liberties. The second governs social and economic inequalities, and the difference principle at its core is both one of the most original and most contested ideas in contemporary political philosophy.

   Complete the previous step first

3. Reading· ~11 min

   Reflective Equilibrium, Primary Goods, and the Limits of the Theory

   Rawls's methodology of reflective equilibrium is as important as his substantive principles, and his account of primary goods as the currency of justice raises deep questions about whether the theory can accommodate the full diversity of human ends. The communitarian and libertarian critiques of Rawls between them identify the central unresolved tensions.

   Complete the previous step first

4. Argument Map· ~11 min

   Rawls's Complete Architecture

   Map the full philosophical project: from the critique of utilitarianism through the original position, the two principles, the difference principle, and the shift to political liberalism.

   Complete the previous step first

5. Dialogue· ~10 min

   Dialogue: Does the Difference Principle Respect Self-Ownership?

   The most important direct confrontation in twentieth-century political philosophy: whether Rawls's difference principle is a principle of justice or a principle of forced redistribution that violates individual rights.

   Complete the previous step first

6. Reflection· ~8 min

   Reflection: What Do We Owe Each Other?

   Rawls's most personally urgent questions for contemporary life: what the principles of justice actually require of citizens and institutions, and whether the theory reflects what we genuinely believe about fairness.

   Complete the previous step first