Justice As Fairness

Justice as Fairness John Rawls’s theory regarding justice is concluded with the idea of justice as fairness. Justice, according to Rawls, includes a conception of the knowledge that “all social goods are to be distributed equally unless an unequal distribution of any or all of these goods is to the advantage of the least favored” (Princeton Readings, 697). His theory prioritizes three principles: freedom, equality, and the difference principle to solidify his claims. Rawls’s attempt to reach an agreement on justice is based on a comparison to the social contract theory. In order to do this, a hypothetical situation is fabricated to establish common ground where rational persons agree to the terms of justice. Rawls adamantly claims that justice can only be determined if these rational persons are ignorant to the social inequalities that exist within society. Rawls reaches his conclusion by establishing justice as the principle foundation of society and institutions, by acknowledging different interpretations of justice, and by creating an equal initial status quo to determine the agreed upon principles of justice. The main purpose of this initial situation is to establish the basis at which all people concur on the conception of justice and make it applicable to society. Justice can clearly be identified as the foundation upon which people understand social institutions, social systems, and more commonly social association. For instance, laws are constructed and interpreted based on an ambiguous knowledge of justice. This acknowledgement of the existence of justice is the first premise whereby Rawls’ introduces his theory. Justice underlies social systems in society based on common agreement. Rawls understands that people possess different conceptions of what justice entails. In order to arrive at the fundamental concept of justice, Rawls establishes an original situation in which these basic structures are assessed. In order for this hypothetical situation to