John Rawls thought about justice in a four-stage sequence. The first stage is what would a just society even look like? That deliberation happens behind the veil of ignorance. But when we then try to make it more concrete and work out principles that can be implemented, this veil is gradually lifted. In the end, at the stage of making laws, all information is available but the thought is still the deliberation about what should our laws be like. It's constrained by an idea of justice reached in a deliberative process where we're less influenced by our biases or thinking about our advantages.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss A Theory of Justice by John Rawls (1921 - 2002) which has been called the most influential book in twentieth century political philosophy. It was first published in 1971. Rawls (pictured above) drew on his own experience in WW2 and saw the chance in its aftermath to build a new society, one founded on personal liberty and fair equality of opportunity. While in that just society there could be inequalities, Rawls’ radical idea was that those inequalities must be to the greatest advantage not to the richest but to the worst off.
With
Fabienne Peter
Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick
Martin O’Neill
Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of York
And
Jonathan Wolff
The Alfred Landecker Professor of Values and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford and Fellow of Wolfson College
Producer: Simon Tillotson