Module 5: John Rawl’s Justice as Fairness 1
UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Political Science
MODULE 5 IN SOCIAL SCIENCE 101N (ETHICS)
LESSON 5
JOHN RAWLS’ JUSTICE AS FAIRNESS
OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the topic, students are expected to:
1) understand what justice is.
2) understand the Principles of Justice
3) Understand the socio-economic political theories related to
distributive justice
TEACHING-LEARNING ACTIVITY/LESSON PROPER:
JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS PROMOTING THE
COMMON GOOD
RAWLS’ JUSTICE AS FAIRNESS
John Rawls was considered as the most important political philosopher
of 20th century.
Slavery is wrong in every situation for it does not respect the
fundamental rights of liberties of all persons.
Also called as Rawlsian Egalitarianism
TWO PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE
1. The Liberty Principle
a) Everybody has the same liberty which can never be taken away.
b) Provides basic and universal respect for individuals as minimum
standards for all.
c) Limited but only for the sake of liberty.
2. Consisted of Fair Equality of Opportunity and Difference
Principle
a) Social and Economic institution Inequalities are to satisfy two
conditions:
They are to be attached to offices and positions open to all
under conditions or fair equality and opportunity
Greatest benefit of the least- advantaged members of society.
b) Society could not avoid inequalities among its people.
c) Inequalities results from things, person’s inheritance, social class,
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Module 5: John Rawl’s Justice as Fairness 2
motivation, etc.
d) Society should find way to lessen inequalities.
e) Private business and public employment must be open to everybody
by granting fairness of opportunity.
f) Society should eradicate discrimination and afford everybody easy
access to education.
g) Ideal but controversial elements of his theory of social justice
He defined least-advantaged as those who are in bottom of
economic ladder.
h) The concern of distributive justice is to compensate persons for
misfortune.
i) It is thus the responsibility of society to revise distribution of goods
and evils to ascend from jumble of lotteries that constitute human
life as we know.
j) A just society must be property-owning democracy, in which
ownership of the means of production is broadly distributed and
those who are worst off are affluent enough to be economically
independent.
EVALUATION OF RAWL’S PRINCIPLE
1. One criticism against him is that they do not allow ample tolerance for
various religious and intensely held benefit.
2. Many people disagree to the idea that greatest benefit must go to the
least-advantaged
3. Free-market critics argue that it is unjust to get from the most
advantaged what they have earned and redistribute for the benefit of
least advantage.
DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE
Concerns the nature of a socially just allocation of goods in a society
Arises when incidental inequalities in outcome do not come.
It includes quantities of goods, process by which goods are distributed,
and subsequent allocation of goods to society members.
Perceived fairness of how rewards and costs are shared by or
distributed among the members.
Fairness associated with outcomes decisions
TYPES OF DISTRIBUTIVE NORM
1. Equity - based upon their inputs
2. Equality - regardless of input, all will receive equal share
3. Power - those with control or authority will receive more
4. Need - those who are in greatest need should be provided with
resources needed to meet those needs.
5. Responsibility - group members who have the most must share their
resources.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC POLITICAL THEORIES RELATED TO
DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE
1. Egalitarian
set of closely related socioeconomic- political theories, everybody
shall be given at all cost
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2. Capitalist (Laissez – Faire)
when people, businesses, and corporations perform based on their
individual self-interest for their own benefit. Pure Laissez-Fair is also
unjust because it tends to generate unfair distribution of wealth and
income concentrated in the hands of few.
3. Socialist
a system where the government or a central authority controls the
production of goods and services. Soviet Union perform state of
socialism from 1918-1989.
4. Democratic Socialism
Also known as welfare democracy
System of social insurance to help disadvantaged persons.
Incorporates free-market principles in producing goods and services
with compassion and concern for others.
Denmark, Sweden, and Netherlands, Japan.
Works hand in hand with capitalism, free-market, and private
property.
Requires paying high taxes to help pay for a wide range of state-
funded social services.
Some argue that this can result inclusive growth.
STATE AND CITIZENS RESPONSIBILITY
1. Taxation
A means by which state and citizens accomplish their responsibilities
to each other.
A means by which states or governments finance their expenditure,
basically and ideally for constituents, by imposing charges on them
and corporate entities.
Related to social welfare program which is also connected to
inclusive growth.
2. Inclusive growth
Economic growth that creates opportunity for all segments of the
population.
There are constant of allegations on capitalism that its growth is not
trickled down to everybody.
3. Relationship between taxation and social welfare program drives the
proposition that taxes are essentially socialist.
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