John Rawls: From the Social Contract to Two Principles of Justice

Subject Areas : Philosophy

شهلا  اسلامی ¹ (ندارد)

Received: 2008-01-21 Accepted : 2008-03-12 Published : 2007-09-23

Keywords: Rawls, social contract, original position, veil of ignorance, reflective equilibrium,

Abstract :

The social contract tradition has a particular significance in the history ofpolitical philosophy. The classic theoreticians of social contract, such asLock, Rousseau, and Kant, have considered the political authority asinevitable in order to prevail over life difficulties in disordered (social)situation.John Rawls takes a new approach to social contract in his theory ofjustice. He assumes that contracting parties would choose the principles ofjustice which intend to determine the moral principles. Such principles, inturn, constitute the social institutions of society. In Rawls’ view,contracting parties are assumed to be in a hypothetical situation calledoriginal position. These persons as free, equal, reasonable and rationalcitizens, are in veil of ignorance; that is, they are not aware of anycharacters as gender, social status, religious orientation, and even theirconception of the good. In this situation, Rawls suggests a technique,called “reflective equilibrium”, which orchestrates our principles ofjustice and considered judgments. In original position, contracting partieschoose the two principles of justice, i.e. the principles of liberty andequality. The concept of original position is an interpretation of Kant’sview on the principle of freewill and categorical imperative. Describingthis situation enables one to reveal his essential nature as a free andautonomous human being.Rawls, thus, dose not use social contract to legitimate political authority;but, using original position, he presents a concept of human nature whichthe liberals, always, talk about it: a liberated human who is freed of anysocial, political and traditional stress.