Justice as Fairness John Rawls

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Justice as FairnessJohn Rawls

• PHL 110 ETHICS
• North Central College

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Act, Consequence, Virtue
and Justice Review Why is it wrong to lie?

• Utilitarianism because the (long-term) benefit
  (utility) for those affected by the lie is less
  than the cost.

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Act, Consequence, Virtue and Justice
Review Why is it wrong to lie?

• Kants deontology
• You can not universalize a rule such as Always
  lie when it is to your advantage
• The rule I have a right to decide when to tell
  the truth or lie treats others as means to your
  goals, not ends in themselves.

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Act, Consequence, Virtue and Justice Review
Why is it wrong to lie?

• Virtue ethics
• practice of veracity and honesty as virtues
  allows persons to discern discretion the mean
  between falseness and transparency, relative to
  persons and situations.

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Justice and Ethical Norms

• Ideas of justice expand the context of wrongs
  beyond individual interactions to society as a
  whole
• Society, as well as individuals, is said to be
  wronged by crime when crime is unpunished
• Society, as well as individuals - is said to be
  harmed when tort injuries to individuals or
  groups are not redressed by law.

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Types of Justice

• Distributive justice basis for (justification
  of) pattern of resource distribution in a
  society i.e. norms of fairness
• Retributive justice basis for classifying wrongs
  as crimes, determining guilt, norms of punishment
• Resistive justice compensation for injury beach
  of contract, duty norms of equity

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Justice as Fairness John Rawls Theory of
Justice

• Rawls theory focuses
• NOT on foreseeable results of an action
• NOT on right or wrong principles motivating the
  action
• NOT on virtues of character, but
• ON SOCIAL INSTUTITONS WITHIN WHICH ACTIONS AND
  POLICIES ARE DETERMINED

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Justice as Fairness John RawlsDefinition and
Principles

• Justice is
• A virtue of social institutions, measured by
  fairness in allocating benefits and burdens,
  defined by two basic principles
• Liberty
• Difference

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Justice as Fairness John RawlsLiberty

• Rawls Liberty Principle
• Each person participating in a practice (or
  affected by it) has an equal right to the most
  extensive liberty compatible with a like liberty
  for all.

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Justice as Fairness John RawlsDifference

• Rawls Difference Principle
• Inequalities is goods are arbitrary unless
• It is reasonable to expect that they will work to
  the advantage of the least advantaged and
• The positions and offices to which they attach
  (or from which they may be gained) are open to
  all, under conditions of fair competition

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Justice as Fairness John RawlsLeast Advantaged

• Who are the least advantaged?
• Those with lowest expectations for/ access to
  primary goods what free and equal persons
  need as citizens

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Justice as Fairness John RawlsBasic Goods

• Rawls specifies five kinds of such goods
• Basic rights and liberties (freedom of thought,
  liberty of conscience)
• Freedom of movement, free choice of occupation
• Powers and prerogatives of offices positions of
  responsibility
• Income and wealth

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Justice as Fairness John RawlsBasic Goods

• Rawls specifies five kinds of such goods
• Social bases for self-respect aspects of basic
  institutions normally essential if citizens are
  to have a lively sense of their worth as persons
  advance their ends with self-confidence.
• Those who lack access these goods are least
  advantaged

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Justice as Fairness John RawlsJustifying Rawls
Claims

• The original position assume a group of
• Rational, self-interested individuals
• Who know that there will be competition for
  scarce resources
• But do not know what natural advantages or
  disadvantages they will possess, or
• What value beliefs or preferences will guide them

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Justice as Fairness John Rawls

• Given these assumptions what principles would
  these rational, self-interested individuals
  choose to guide distribution of benefits and
  burdens in their society?
• Rawls claims that persons in this imaginary
  original position would adopt versions of the
  liberty and difference principles.