Rawls' First Principle ALWAYS trumps his Second Principle! (Emphasis added) Critically, John Rawls makes it absolutely clear that his second principle may never be allowed to impinge on or in any way diminish the rights that are guaranteed by his first principle. Rawls commences with his two famous principles: '(1) Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive scheme of equal basic liberties, compatible with a similar scheme of fundamental freedoms for all other persons, and (2) social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both (A) reasonably expected to be to everyone's advantage, and (B) attached to positions and office to all.' (TJ 53). Even Friedrich Hayek offered his opinion that TJ could not be construed 'As lending support for socialist demands.' Also, Hayek in the same book propounds his firm belief that attempts to impose social justice will only erode liberty and ultimately lead to totalitarianism.Īlright, the battle lines have been drawn so let's now review together what Rawls actually wrote in his 600 pages of dense and almost impenetrable writing. But those who have studied TJ carefully adamantly disagree about whether John Rawls was writing a defense of the Western welfare state.

Scholars in the Humanities agreed that to Rawls 'justice as fairness' and that fairness required a measure of initial equality (the veil of ignorance) or a largely uniform final distribution of overall well-being, especially economic equity. Those on the left who were ensconced in the social science departments of the academy trumpeted TJ's virtues but very few have arrived at the same conclusions regarding what Rawls was actually calling for. In 1971 Harvard professor and philosopher John Rawls published his very influential book, A Theory of Justice, (TJ) to rave reviews. TOWARD A REVISED THEORY OF RAWLSIAN JUSTICE

A theory of justice by john rawls