RAWLS NOTES

8/28/26

COMMON GOOD!! MAIN IDEA

establishes justice as the uncompromising foundation of social institutions and outlines his framework as an alternative to utilitarian and intuitionist traditions

utilitarian-practical and useful rather than decorative

intuitionist-person who follows themselves and their intuition


THEORY OF JUSTICE

  • it is the right thing to do

  • it is a politically convenient thing to do

    • leaning to favoring the political structure, it will decide for you, and the society will execute the policy

    • preserve a property-owning democracy (capitalism)

  • just and fair society

  • definition should depend on context (matters)

    • depends of race, sexuality, what is base and foundation, who as just

  • all people share a common humanity, therefore earning the right to treatment and resources, in a way of saving humanity/common good, protect one another


aggregated fairness

  • bring together, one good over the other

    • income, well-being, opportunity, freedom, liberty, rights, and needs

    • stressing on common needs and equal opportunities, burden you have to bear/to care for others

    • it is not the survival of the fittest, it is the opposite. FOR THE COMMON GOOD

  • rights based initiatives: basic rights, identity, cannot just be a redistribution, have to act on it


SOCIETY 4 ALL

  • self-sufficient association

  • system of cooperation

  • mutual advantage

  • identity of interests-representing interests of all members of the society

    • there will be conflict of interests due to the differences in so many shares

  • social justice should include: division of advantages (can’t say no), assigning rights and duties (distributing common good, but assigning rights), distribution of benefits and burdens of social cooperation (everything from pos to neg is equally distributed in society, everyone pays a similar share)

    • justice is fairness (def)

    • justice as fairness (action)

  • society: collective endeavor


CHAPTER 1

  • public conception of justice, general acceptance, general decision

    • this is what makes a just society

    • in rawls world, everyone is equal

  • 1. original position: accepting that there is a structure influenced by social positions

    • economic standing and age/class system, gender, race, education level, where you’re from

unearned advantages

  • 2. ascriptive (ie: born that way, something you cannot achieve, og position is ascriptive in nature)

    • 1. social

    • 2. natural

    • 3. good luck or bad luck over the course of life (rawls huge believer)

      • genetics

      • social status at birth

  • what is achieved? what about merit: there may be an element of luck

  • embedded inequalities: based off of factors, accepting that because this og position varies, there is inequalities

  • assumption of “veil of ignorance” do not know their positions or inequalities or place we take in society: yes i know there are differences, but i will close my eyes/look away


8/31/26

CONTIUNED

the difference principle

  • inequality acceptable, as long as everyone has access to

    • basic goods

    • education

  • social and economic differences between all of us

  • an unequal society is acceptable as long as the system is going to benefit the one person who does not have resources

  • rawls is moving away from economics: justice is actually delievered/happiness

  • govern./society is responsible to determine who lacks those basic goods/needs to ensure upward mobility= A JUST SOCIETY

    • structure decides, not the individual

  • if everyone is equal, how do we still have a government? so we can preserve fairness, watch out to how decision making begins

    • positions are equal

  • Principles of Justice:

    • accepting initial positions of equality/inequality

    • we are to imagine ourselves in the position of free and equal persons who join as a collective for a larger good

      • is it political or social and economic?

  • Basis for Justice as fairness is the assumption of initial equality and fairness

  • morally obligated to help people who dont have everything

  • if you are able, than you must

  • all social values distributed equally unless and unequal distribution is also to everyone’s advantage

    • we cannot find the solution because there are people in power. if we influence them, maybe we could make it equal

    • if society is for everyone, why do we still see inequalities

      • elites are going to keep inequalities alive so that it works for them

  • what is the purpose of inequality?????


9/2/26

important thing: freedom, and equality

  • no disadvantage for another person

equal access to everybody

  • then social and economic inequalities can be blamed on the structure

  • structure is not working, not protecting collective

  • institutions have to serve the common good

    • favoring an issue: ask yourself is this for the common good/everybody even for those who decent

  • institutions and formal justice

    • coordinate individual conduct

    • public acceptance and understanding

  • patagonia: gave away all of his wealth for injustices, social causes, women’s issues, etc

    • value made company on

    • for the social good

    • yes it’s capitalism, but at the same time every company does social work

    • placed voting stock in a trust

  • scandanavian companies: following rawls in their work

    • least percentage of inequalities in an institution

    • what is the purpose it serves??

  • growth of positive obligations: everyone should do something good, but we all have an equal obligation

    • has to be equal

  • the embrace of substantive equality: recognition that not all people start off from the same position and that these unequal opportunities make it more difficult for some to be successful

    • treating everyone the same is only fair if they are starting from the same position