Quotation
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“The guiding idea is that the principles of justice for the basic structure of society are the object of the original agreement.”
John Rawls · Political philosophy · Modern · 1971
What does it mean?
The guiding idea of justice as fairness is that the principles for the basic structure are what the parties in the original position agree to. The subject is institutions, the constitution, the economy's main rules, not every private promise. A rival reading hears a social contract fantasy, as if he thought people once met and signed. The agreement is hypothetical. Another reading wants the theory to settle personal virtue. He thinks personal virtue is the wrong subject for these principles. The sentence is well attested and dull, which is why people quote 'veil of ignorance' instead.
Did John Rawls really say this?
The library’s label is Well attested. Rawls's English. 'Justice as fairness' names the view. It is not, by itself, a quotation worth hanging. This sentence says what the name is guiding: principles for the basic structure, as the object of an original agreement. Section 3.
Where it comes from
A Theory of Justice, §3
Approximate date: 1971.
How to use it
A row about whether a colleague in a small office in Bath is a good person is not yet a question about the basic structure. A row about the tax and housing rules that made the office possible is closer. He is not saying the colleague does not matter. He is saying justice, in this book, is a virtue of institutions first. Using the book as a personality test is how a theory of justice becomes a tone of voice.
A mindset reading
'Justice as fairness' is a title for the view. If you need a sentence, use this one or the veil's own features, not the title. Titles are not claims, even when they are memorable.
Understand the philosophy
Section 3 of A Theory of Justice. The original agreement is specified later, especially in the veil sections. This sentence is the guiding idea that keeps those sections from floating free of institutions. His English, 1971.
- justice
- society
- ethics
FAQ
What does it mean?
The guiding idea of justice as fairness is that the principles for the basic structure are what the parties in the original position agree to. The subject is institutions, the constitution, the economy's main rules, not every private promise. A rival reading hears a social contract fantasy, as if he thought people once met and signed. The agreement is hypothetical. Another reading wants the theory to settle personal virtue. He thinks personal virtue is the wrong subject for these principles. The sentence is well attested and dull, which is why people quote 'veil of ignorance' instead.
Did John Rawls really say this?
Well attested. Rawls's English. 'Justice as fairness' names the view. It is not, by itself, a quotation worth hanging. This sentence says what the name is guiding: principles for the basic structure, as the object of an original agreement. Section 3.
Which work is it in?
A Theory of Justice, §3 Approximate date: 1971.