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Full Idea
All social primary goods - liberty and opportunity, income and wealth, and the bases of self-respect - are to be distributed equally unless an unequal distribution of any or all of these goods is to the advantage of the least favoured.
Gist of Idea
All desirable social features should be equal, unless inequality favours the disadvantaged
Source
John Rawls (A Theory of Justice [1972], §46)
Book Ref
Rawls,John: 'A Theory of Justice' [OUP 1978], p.303
A Reaction
In the wholehearted capitalism of the 21st century this sounds like cloud-cuckoo land. As an 'initial position' (just as in the 'Republic') the clean slate brings out some interesting principles. Actual politics takes vested interests as axiomatic.
Related Idea
Idea 18638 The difference principles says we must subsidise the costs of other people's choices [Kymlicka]
| 3280 | Why does the rational agreement of the 'Original Position' in Rawls make it right? [Nagel on Rawls] |
| 20552 | The original position models the idea that citizens start as free and equal [Rawls, by Swift] |
| 15676 | Rawls defends the priority of right over good [Rawls, by Finlayson] |
| 4123 | A fair arrangement is one that parties can agree to without knowing how it will benefit them personally [Rawls, by Williams,B] |
| 20538 | Utilitarians lump persons together; Rawls somewhat separates them; Nozick wholly separates them [Swift on Rawls] |
| 9277 | Rawls's account of justice relies on conventional fairness, avoiding all moral controversy [Gray on Rawls] |
| 21018 | The social contract has problems with future generations, national boundaries, disabilities and animals [Rawls, by Nussbaum] |
| 18636 | Choose justice principles in ignorance of your own social situation [Rawls] |
| 18631 | All desirable social features should be equal, unless inequality favours the disadvantaged [Rawls] |
| 21041 | Justice concerns not natural distributions, or our born location, but what we do about them [Rawls] |
| 20527 | Liberty Principle: everyone has an equal right to liberties, if compatible with others' liberties [Rawls] |
| 23110 | Human injustice is not a permanent feature of communities [Rawls] |
| 23583 | If an aggression is unjust, the constraints on how it is fought are much stricter [Rawls] |
| 3279 | Utilitarianism inappropriately scales up the individual willingness to make sacrifices [Rawls, by Nagel] |