Justice as Fairness
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Justice as Fairness is the phrase used by the philosopher John Rawls to refer to his distinctive theory of justice. Justice as Fairness consists of two principles: that all have the greatest degree of liberty compatible with like liberty for all, and that social and economic inequalities be attached to positions open to all under fair equality of opportunity and to the greatest benefit of the least well-off members of society.[citation needed] The first of these two principles is known as the liberty principle, while the second half, reflecting the idea that inequality is only justified if to the advantage of those who are less well-off, is known as the difference principle.
Rawls argues that the two principles would be chosen by representative parties in the original position — a thought experiment in which the parties are to choose among principles of justice to order the basic structure of society from behind a veil of ignorance — depriving the representatives of information about the particular characteristics (such as wealth and natural abilities) of the parties that they represent. Justice as Fairness is developed by Rawls in his now classic book, A Theory of Justice.
