John Rawls Quotes

The first statement of the two principles reads as follows. First: each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others. Second: social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both(a)reasonably expected to be to everyone's advantage, and (b) attached to positions and offices open to all.

Intuitionism is not constructive, perfectionism is unacceptable.

If A were not allowed his better position, B would be even worse off than he is.

Indeed, it is tempting to suppose that it is self evident that things should be so arranged so as to lead to the most good.

An intolerant sect has no right to complain when it is denied an equal liberty. … A person’s right to complain is limited to principles he acknowledges himself.

The extreme nature of dominant-end views is often concealed by the vagueness and ambiguity of the end proposed.

We must not be enticed by mathematically attractive assumptions into pretending that the contingencies of men's social positions and the asymmetries of their situations somehow even out in the end. Rather we must choose our conception of justice fully recognizing that this is not and cannot be the case.

The principles of justice are chosen behind a veil of ignorance.

An individual who finds that he enjoys seeing others in positions of lesser liberty understands that he has no claim whatever to this enjoyment.

Social and economic inequalities, for example inequalities of wealth and authority, are just only if they result in compensating benefits for everyone, and in particular for the least advantaged members of society.

Justice does not require that men must stand idly by while others destroy the basis of their existence.

Justice as fairness provides what we want.

There is a divergence between private and social accounting that the market fails to register. One essential task of law and government is to institute the necessary conditions.

Inequalities are permissible when they maximize, or at least all contribute to, the long term expectations of the least fortunate group in society.

Our concern is solely with the basic structure of society and its major institutions and therefore with the standard cases of social justice.