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Single Idea 21041

[filed under theme 25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 1. Basis of justice ]

Full Idea

The natural distribution is neither just nor unjust; nor is it unjust that persons are born into society at some particular position. These are simply natural facts. What is just and unjust is the way that institutions deal with these facts.

Gist of Idea

Justice concerns not natural distributions, or our born location, but what we do about them

Source

John Rawls (A Theory of Justice [1972], 17)

Book Ref

Rawls,John: 'A Theory of Justice' [OUP 1978], p.102

A Reaction

Lovely quotation. There is no point in railing against the given, and that includes what is given by history, as well as what is given by nature. It comes down to intervening, in history and in nature. How much intervention will individuals tolerate?

The 19 ideas from John Rawls

22406 The maximisation of happiness must be done fairly [Rawls, by Smart]
21137 Rawls rejected cosmopolitanism because it doesn't respect the autonomy of 'peoples' [Rawls, by Shorten]
23420 In a pluralist society we can't expect a community united around one conception of the good [Rawls]
21119 Power is only legitimate if it is reasonable for free equal citizens to endorse the constitution [Rawls]
21051 Check your rationality by thinking of your opinion pronounced by the supreme court [Rawls]
20552 The original position models the idea that citizens start as free and equal [Rawls, by Swift]
3280 Why does the rational agreement of the 'Original Position' in Rawls make it right? [Nagel on Rawls]
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]