Justice as Fairness John Rawls responds to the question of justice with his own theory of Liberalism. Liberalism utilizes a social contract as a conceptual basis from which moral reasoning can be considered just. Rawls claims that the best way to look at morality is by referring to the principles‚ which govern society‚ based on an initial situation of equality. He explains this initial situation of equality by proposing a hypothetical original position: “The guiding idea is that the principles of
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John Rawls bases his Theory of Justice on the intuitive conviction that justice as fairness is the first virtue of social institutions. He argues that in order to ensure fair distributions of advantages in society‚ a workable set of principles are required in order to determine how institutions ought to distribute rights and duties and to establish a clear way to address competing claims to social advantages. The second principle that Rawls develops stipulates that economic and social inequalities
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various theories attempting to outline systems of a just society. Some of these theories revolve around a central notion of a ‘social contract’ in which society is formed through a theoretical agreement between a group of people about their moral and political obligations. This concept has been used by theorists such as Mill and Rousseau‚ to explain why the law is justified in its right to constrain the behaviour of individuals and organisations in society. Later in the twentieth century‚ John Rawls
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Social Contract Theory Social contract theory‚ nearly as old as philosophy itself‚ is the view that persons’ moral and/or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they live. Socrates uses something quite like a social contract argument to explain to Crito why he must remain in prison and accept the death penalty. However‚ social contract theory is rightly associated with modern moral and political theory and is given its first full
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the ‘social contract theories’ of Thomas Hobbes and John Rawls. Which theory is more persuasive? Be sure to explain what Rawls means by ‘the original position‚’ and the ‘veil of ignorance‚’ and why those concepts do not figure in Hobbes’ theory. Social Contract Theory holds that the only consideration that makes actions right is that action is in accordance with an agreement made by the rational people for governing their society. In this paper‚ I will only focus on Thomas Hobbes and John Rawls’
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THE SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY The idea of the social contract goes back‚ to Thomas Hobbes; John Locke‚ Jean-Jacques Rousseau‚ and Immanuel Kant developed it in different ways. After Kant the idea largely fell into disrepute until John Rawls resurrected it. It is now at the heart of the work of a number of moral and political philosophers. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contract the social contract theorists and their views on the origin of state. THOMAS HOBBES: (1588-1679) Background:
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In A Theory of Justice‚ John Rawls argues for the theory of “justice as fairness‚” a theory that is grounded in the hypothetical contract of the original position. Ronald Dworkin argues against the practicality and applicability of a doubly hypothetical agreement‚ - “a hypothetical question about hypothetical reactions” - which occurs in original position (D’Agostino). Here‚ I will explore Rawls’s arguments and assess the legitimacy of Rawls’s assumptions and claims. I will also discuss the arguments
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Social Contract Theory of John Locke Given the honored and extensive authority that the social contract theory upholds‚ the supposition still endures various assessments. The view that people’s ethical and political responsibilities are reliant upon a contract between them to structure a society is also precisely linked with current ethical and political theory. John Locke (b. 1632‚ d. 1704)‚ a prominent truth-seeker among other professions of the 17th and early 18th centuries‚ is primarily recognized
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John Locke’s Social Contract Theory Jon Bartholf CJA530: Ethics in Justice and Security October 10‚ 2011 Cristina Payne Abstract The Declaration of Independence‚ written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776‚ incorporates many of the views and ideas of John Locke‚ an English philosopher‚ and his writings of the Social Contract theory. Within the theory‚ Locke states that society should be afforded certain unalienable rights (life‚ liberty‚ and happiness) that give authority and control to the people
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THE SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY The theory is as old as philosophy itself. It is of the view that persons’ moral and/ or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they live. The theory of a social contract is therefore a hypothesis explaining how society originates as well as the presumed relationships between its members‚ how they incur responsibilities and their rights. Early proponents of the social contract theory include; - Socrates
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