A Theory of Justice
John Rawls · 1971 CE
Excerpt
“No party in the original position may know the place in society it will occupy, nor its class position or natural assets. (paraphrase of §3, 'The Veil of Ignorance')”
Why the atlas keeps it
Rawls reconstructs distributive justice as a hypothetical contract made behind a veil of ignorance, and derives two principles — equal basic liberties first, then fair equality of opportunity and the difference principle. Published in 1971 and revised in 1979, it displaced utilitarianism as the default starting point for two decades. The excerpt below paraphrases the passage in section 3 rather than quoting a translation.
Terms this text reaches for
Ranked by the codex search index against the summary above, not hand-picked.
Veil of ignorance
philosophyA device for choosing principles without knowing which position in society you will occupy.
Care versus justice
philosophyThe standing debate over whether obligation is built from relationships or from impartial rules.
Average utilitarianism
ethicsThe view that the morally best action maximises average well-being per person.
Total utilitarianism
ethicsThe view that the morally best action maximises total well-being across everyone affected.
Person-affecting principle
ethicsThe view that an action is wrong only if it affects someone for the worse.
Hypothetical imperative
philosophyA command that binds only if you happen to want the end it presupposes.