Rawls' Theory of Justice

Study Notes

Rawls' Reflective Equilibrium

Rawls's theory of justice is a comprehensive moral theory aiming to define a just society.
Reflective equilibrium is a method for achieving coherent moral judgments.
It involves adjusting both considered moral judgments and principles until they are in harmony.
This process is iterative; adjustments to one element lead to adjustments in others.
The goal is to reach a stable balance between intuitions and principles, thereby achieving a more robust understanding of justice.
The method assumes moral judgments aren't arbitrary if they can be explained or justified through principles and reasoning.

Circumstances of Justice

The "circumstances of justice" are conditions defining the context within which justice is relevant.
These conditions necessitate justice but don't determine its specific form.
These conditions include moderate scarcity of resources, a degree of similarity among individuals, and some degree of independence and self-interest.
They also include the absence of a shared, comprehensive view of the good life.
Mutually disinterested parties are crucial. This doesn't mean selfishness, but that pursuit of one's own good doesn't depend on others acting a certain way.
This structures conditions for a just society's best function.

Fact of Pluralism

Recognition that reasonable disagreement is a constant feature of human societies.
Individuals hold diverse and often incompatible worldviews or conceptions of the good life—a core feature of modern democracies.
The "fact of pluralism" highlights that complete agreement isn't possible, so individuals need a way to live peacefully respecting differences fairly and equitably.

Reasonable Pluralism

Building on the fact of pluralism, reasonable pluralism adds that these different worldviews are reasonable, not irrational.
Different conceptions of the good life are not necessarily based on faulty reasoning, misconceptions, or poor values.
Different belief systems can coexist and justify their approaches as valid.
Key is recognizing multiple reasonable conceptions of the good are possible and justifiable, not disagreement over inherent values, but different interpretations of them.
This implies the need for public reason in a just society. Citizens can engage in dialogue, seeking common ground based on shared values even if their full conceptions of the good life differ.

Description

Explore Rawls' reflective equilibrium method in achieving moral judgments and understanding justice. This quiz examines the conditions defining justice and the iterative process of adjusting moral principles. Test your knowledge on these foundational concepts of political philosophy.