The Difference Principle

764 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: principles of justice according to rawls scholars essays

The Difference Principle

Every citizen aspires to obtain a just society in which to live. Some political philosophers hold differing opinions as how to reach this just society. One of the more widely accepted approaches is John Rawl's Difference Principle.

To achieve a just society, Rawls believes in two principles. The first principle states that each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others. The second principle is that 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 offices open to all (Rawls, 60).

Within Rawls' second principle of justice lies the difference principle or the maximin rule. In accordance with this principle, all income and wealth is to be distributed equally unless the unequal distribution is to everyone's advantage. Rawls holds the ideal political theory. I believe that this is in fact the best principle in which we should live. When viewing justice as fairness, this outcome will be the most favorable for all parties involved. In this society everyone benefits, so even if there are slight inequalities, the end result will come out better than if there was complete equality.

So for this to work, then even the least advantaged must profit from the inequalities. If anyone were hurt by these uneven wages, the principle would be found unjust.

As an example, we can view a society running its economy in one of three ways. The first way would be with completely equal distribution of income. Everyone would receive $10,000 dollars a year. Since no one earns more or less than anyone else, we could view this as on...

... middle of paper ...

...seems as though one man would be making a profit at the others expense. But Rawls comes back to believe that although this is bad, it is the lazy person's choice to be lazy that is the factor of justice.

I strongly believe that John Rawls' Difference Principle is a sound theory. I would agree with practically any situation where all parties benefit without the downfall or disadvantage of its participants. I see only good coming from this theory. In the equally distributive society, although continuing to maintain a sense of justice, it lacks in that it is more difficult for its people create savings and economic growth. Therefore, no one is really capable of gaining wealth. At least Rawls' Difference Principle gives citizens a chance to gain wealth and a better lifestyle. Any system that promotes a better standard of living is the better one in my book.

Show More
Related

  • John Rawls and the Social Contract

    3640 Words  | 8 Pages

    Imagine that rational actor X has been charged with the responsibility of developing the guiding principles for a totaly new type of social contract for today’s society. Is there a way for actor X to perform this task in a truly equitable manner? Consider that “with respect to any complex mater of deep human importance there is n o ‘innocent eye’ —no way of seeing the world that is entirely neutral and free of cultural shaping.” 1 As an entrenched member of a particular culture the complete removal of personal biases and prejudices from within the human psyche is not possible; nonetheless, it would of course be necessary to take steps to at least minimize their effects. In his 1971 book, A Theory of Justice , John Rawls suggests that exactly this type of reduction is possible by figuratively stepping behind a ‘veil of ignorance’ int o what he labels the ‘original position’ —this paper is an introduction to the contractarian thinking of John Rawls and its relation to the original position as expressed in his 1971 book, A Theory of Justice.

    Read More

  • Hobbes Versus Rawles On The Fool

    1623 Words  | 4 Pages

    Both Thomas Hobbes and John Rawls propose an idea of a social contract, for society. Hobbes' account gives us the Leviathan, and Rawls gives us his Theory of Justice. For Rawls a social contract is hypothetical, in other words people would agree to it if they were to choose it.1 He creates a thought experiment, to show what people would choose if they were to decide on a social contract. This exists in what he calls the "original position, which is similar to a state of nature.2 The thought experiment then begins with a group of people, behind what he calls a "veil of ignorance". By doing this they do not know their social class, wealth, natural abilities, the distribution of assets in society, or anything else about themselves or the society.3 They must then must decide how society would be set up.4 Since none of them know details about what would benefit them, they will then advocate for a society that abides by Rawls' two principles of justice.5 First there is the liberty principle, which advocates basic liberty for everyone. Second, there is the difference principle favor economic equality, with inequalities that benefit the worst off.6 The veil of ignorance, ideally creates an egalitarian society with equal rights, and inequalities only exist if they redistribute wealth equally.7 Rawls then uses Kantian reasoning to say that since a rational being would choose these principles, these are the principles that should be adopted.8 Unlike the original position of Rawls, the state of nature for Hobbes is violent, and anarchic.9 Man has the right to use his own power, but he can transfer that right and enter into a social contract to escape the state of nature.10 Hobbes also states that making and keeping contrac...

    Read More

  • The Fairest Of Them All By John Rawls Analysis

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another key component of Rawls two principles of justice is the second part of the second principle, which is known as the difference principle “as a principle of distributive justice in the narrow sense” (61). The difference principle is meant to give the most advantage to the least advantaged group in society by providing “fair and equal opportunity” (61).

    Read More

  • John Rawls On Justice Analysis

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the aforementioned passage from her document “John Rawls on Justice” Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz’s sheds light on the major flaw in John’s Rawls’s “social contract theory” for establishing “Justice” in our society. She asserts

    Read More

  • Rawls Theory Of Justice

    3346 Words  | 7 Pages

    I will begin this paper by making clear that this is a critique of Rawls and his difference principle and not an attempt at a neutral analysis. I have read the Theory of Justice and I have found it wanting in both scope and realism. The difference principle proposed by Rawls, his second principle is the focus of my critique. While this paper will not focus solely on the second principle, all analysis done within this essay are all targeted towards the scope of influence that Rawls treats the second principle with.

    Read More

  • Theory Of Justice In John Rawls's Theory Of Justice

    2303 Words  | 5 Pages

    Two advantages of the difference principle will be discussed and analyzed; the first advantage is that it is morally right or fair. The difference principle represents justice and equality, even if a person receives lesser income than another person, the way they are treated in society and the compensation they receive is more than enough to regulate the inequalities that are present. Rawls defines justice as, “the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought” (3). The fact that it is just should be one of the first aspects that the people in the original position should consider when deliberating between the principles as it is uncompromising by being the first human

    Read More

  • An Ideal Society in John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice

    535 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice presents an ideal society based on several simple principles. While the system Rawls suggests is well constructed, it is not without its flaws. I will now attempt to explain Rawls’ idea of Justice as Fairness and explain where the system fails.

    Read More

  • John Rawls's Theory Of Social Justice

    1529 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rawls theory of justice is idealistic because the original position cannot be forced upon individuals in the real world, instead individuals of the real world must put themselves into the original position. With so many self-interested human beings in our world, a society that completely honored the rights of their brethren is difficult to imagine, but events in our history when the disadvantages of the oppressed were finally fully realized by the privileged have proved that not only is altruism natural to us but a society who honors it will succeed. As King exemplified in his freedom marches, when people realize faults in society they convene and unify to expel them and usually find themselves better off as a whole. A reality where the democratically elected president of America is of color would be just another fantasy in 1956. However now, not only have we begun settling matters of civil rights, but areas of disparity in the lives of women, the disabled, the LGBTQI community and immigrants across the country. So as I reap from the benefits of that movement, I myself cannot help but strive to attain those opportunities that I could never have dreamed of 80 years ago and live a life that supports those around me so that as society can improve as a whole. Suppression in any part of society from things such as a gendered wage gap or segregation based on race hold society back. Rawls theory of justice sets society free from the weight of the disadvantaged and gives each person the greatest chance to evolve not just as individuals but as part of an evolving

    Read More

  • John Rawls: “Original Position”

    1126 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rawls creates a hypothetical society, via a thought experiment known as the “Veil of Ignorance,” in which all that you knew of yourself is eliminated from your mind to allow you to come to a rational decision on how you would like your society to be organized. Rawls principle is that under a social contract what is right must be the same for everyone. The essence of Rawls' “veil of ignorance” is that it is designed to be a representation of persons purely in their capacity as free and equal moral persons. Out of this experiment Rawls provides us with two basic p...

    Read More

  • Distributive Justice By Robert Nozick And John Rawls

    1255 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e achieved when the Liberty and Difference Principle are enacted with the veil of ignorance. On the contrary, Nozick argues that Rawls’s theory is exactly the sort of patterned principle that infringes upon individual liberty. As an alternative, Nozick provides his unpatterned principle as the ideal distribution of goods in a society. To me, Rawls’s argues his theory in a manner where his principles of justice are not only difficult to achieve, but ultimately are exceedingly deficient in providing general utility. The veil of ignorance has proved to be almost impossible as well as unethical. The Difference Principle in itself is unable to justly distribute property since it clearly violates an individual’s liberty. Since Rawls’s method of distributive justice is rendered unreasonable and inefficient, it leaves us with a clear answer derived from two disjunctions.

    Read More

  • Rawls Justice Is Fairness

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Rawls never claimed to know the only way to start a society, but he did suggest a very sound and fair way to do so. He based his just scenario on two principles of justice. His first principle of justice was that everyone should have the same rights as others. His following policy decision was that in the event of any inequalities, they should be to the benefit to everybody, and available to all people in the society. This original Rawl’s approach to justice has been highly revered by philosophers to this day. This is mostly because Rawl’s has thought up one of the fairest Utopia since the days of Socrates. This is not an easy of a task as it sounds. Though when analyzed by even the most naïve philosophers, it seems that Rawl’s scenario base of principles are pretty obvious and simple. Maybe because some of these same principles can be found in present day society. The United States tries to pride itself in maintaining these two principles at all costs. In some countries even regarding these principles as fair can cause you to go away for a very long time. The most commonly known to the term “political prisoner” is Gedhun Choekyi

    Read More

  • The Original Position and the Veil of Ignorance

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    Political philosopher John Rawls believed that in order for society to function properly, there needs to be a social contract, which defines ‘justice as fairness’. Rawls believed that the social contract be created from an original position in which everyone decides on the rules for society behind a veil of ignorance. In this essay, it will be argued that the veil of ignorance is an important feature of the original position. First, the essay will describe what the veil of ignorance is. Secondly, it will look at what Rawls means by the original position. Thirdly, it will look at why the veil of ignorance is an important feature of the original position. Finally, the essay will present a criticism to the veil of ignorance and the original position and Rawls’ potential response to this.

    Read More

  • "Justice and Fairness"

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rawls acknowledges that within societies people are born into differing social positions, and he also recognises that "institutions of society favour certain starting places over others." It is for this reason that Rawls has put forward his theory of justice and states that "It is these inequalities, presumably inevitable in the basic structure of any society, to which the principles of social justice must in the first instance apply."

    Read More

  • John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice holds that a rational, mutually disinterested individual in the Original Position and given the task of establishing societal rules to maximise their own happiness throughout life, is liable to choose as their principles of justice a) guaranteed fundamental liberties and b) the nullification of social and economic disparities by universal equality of opportunities, which are to be of greatest benefit to the least advantaged members of society , . Rawls’ system of societal creation has both strengths and weaknesses, but is ultimately sound.

    Read More

  • Essay On Freedom Equality And Justice

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the leading political philosophers, John Rawls` foundational idea was that justice is a demand of fairness. Fairness is a demand for impartiality (Sen, 2010). His work, Theory of Justice (1970) is based on the idea of justice and fairness, and he argues that it is the basic structure of society (Hoffman & Graham, 2015). Rawls presents justice as fairness as a `political conception of justice` (Farrelly, 2004). In his Theory of Justice there are two main principles of justice. The first is equal liberty, means that each individual has the right to free speech, to vote or fair trial. The second ones are equal opportunity, and difference principle (Hoffman & Graham, 2015). It is also known as distributive economic justice. Rawls argued that however every human beings are born equal, sometimes they end up being unequal because of the social circumstances they grow up in, and the different opportunities they get (Boucher & Kelly, 2009). These different circumstances can result in unequal earnings and wealth distribution. Income inequality undermining the aim of equal opportunity. Child poverty is a global issue, according to the National Equality Panel report (Child Poverty Action Group,

    Read More

More about The Difference Principle

Open Document