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Rawls

Original nameJohn Rawls

American Political Philosopher, Author of A Theory of Justice

Remembered for a Single Line · Small Roles, Famous Names

The Theory of JusticeThe Veil of IgnoranceJustice as Fairness

Who they are

John Rawls (1921–2002) was an American political philosopher whose chief work A Theory of Justice is acknowledged as one of the most important works of twentieth-century political philosophy, reviving the social-contract tradition that had for a time declined under the long dominance of utilitarianism. He proposed the famous "veil of ignorance" thought experiment: imagine a group of rational people deciding the basic institutional arrangement of society while temporarily not knowing what talents, wealth, sex, or social position they will have in real society (as if screened by a "veil of ignorance") — in this fair, unbiased original position, what principles of justice would they choose? Rawls argued that rational people in this situation would choose the "liberty principle" guaranteeing equal basic liberties, and the "difference principle" requiring that social and economic inequalities benefit the least advantaged; this argument sought fundamentally to overcome the ethical flaw of utilitarianism that "the rights of a minority may be sacrificed for the greater interest of the majority," profoundly reshaping the core agenda of Anglo-American political philosophy for the decades after.

Primary sourcesRawls, A Theory of Justice

Key stories

The "Veil of Ignorance" Thought Experiment

Rawls imagined that, to set the most basic principles of justice for a wholly new society, the fairest way would be to suppose the framers temporarily screened by a "veil of ignorance," not knowing whether they would be born into a rich or poor family, whether their talents would be outstanding, or to which race or sex they would belong — in this wholly fair, unbiased "original position," rational people would not risk wagering that they would end up at the very bottom of society, and so would tend to choose principles of justice that both guarantee basic liberty and take account of the interests of the least advantaged, rather than an arrangement that purely maximizes overall social utility.

"Justice as Fairness"

Rawls summed up his theory of justice as "justice as fairness," seeking to argue that the legitimacy of a truly just institutional arrangement lies not in its bringing about the maximum aggregate of overall welfare (the utilitarian stance) but in whether its very procedure of formulation is fair and unbiased to all participants — this argumentative strategy of "procedural justice" thereafter became one of the most important theoretical paradigms of contemporary liberal political philosophy.

Relationships

Nemesis

🔢Bentham　His theory of justice was proposed precisely to overcome the fundamental flaw of utilitarianism that "the rights of a minority may be sacrificed"

Echoes today

Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.

The "veil of ignorance" (in public-policy discussion)This thought experiment is still widely cited in discussing the fairness of design in public-policy issues such as taxation and health care.

Appears in

The Twentieth Century: Existence, Deconstruction, and JusticeArendt’s "Banality of Evil," Rawls’s Theory of Justice

⏳ Who lived at the same time as Rawls? →🔗 Who taught whom →

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