Rawls: Key Thinkers at the University of Sydney

JOHN RAWLS ON SOCIAL JUSTICE - Professor Duncan Ivison, Professor of Political Philosophy and Head of the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry (SOPHI)
John Rawls (1921-2002) has been hailed as one of the most important liberal political philosophers of our times. He is best known for his hugely influential book, A Theory of Justice (1971), which defended a vision of social justice in which individual rights and social equality were seemingly reconciled ... something many consider to be impossible. For Rawls, justice was the first virtue of social and political institutions and should structure the way fundamental rights and opportunities (as well as burdens) are distributed in a society. His conception of justice as fairness attempted to reconcile the often competing ideals of liberty and equality by setting out principles of justice that individuals, conceived of as rational and free and equal, would be willing to accept. Technically innovative, often dizzyingly abstract and yet deeply informed by the history of philosophy, Rawlss work has shaped philosophical thinking about justicefor better or worseever since.

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[lmgoose]

@subu36rz In his exploration of Reflective Equilibrium (i.e. coherence between positions considered in the Original Position and in our current convictions) he uses racial discrimination alongside religious intolerance as an example of impartial condemnation. In the hypothetical Original Position one also wouldn't be aware of whether they were in the racial majority, etc. Rather than merely directing to others' works, what is the point you are trying to make?

[lovelplants]

wow.. he's really a good philosopher..

[lorrainegardella]

nice one

[SuperNicolef]

He is the nicest guy in the world! Had him as a lecturer at Usyd.

[subu36rz]

It's astounding that Rawls wrote about justice but ignored racial injustice in America. Professor Charles Mills' books academic papers on Rawls and race are very insightful re this glaring deficiency..

[subu36rz]

You should read Charles W. Mills's The Racial Contract and Contract and Domination written jointly with Carole Pateman. It's astounding that Rawls wrote about justice but ignored racial injustice in America. Mill's published academic papers on Rawls and race are also very insightful.

[subu36rz]

You should read Charles W. Mills's The Racial Contract and Contract and Domination written jointly with Carole Pateman. It's astounding that Rawls wrote about justice but ignored racial injustice in America. Mill's published academic papers on Rawls and race are also very insightful.

[nVei06]

'Equal rights' and the 'difference principal' are complete opposites. where equal rights is american, equality in the sense you propose is not congruent with reality. dogmatic senseless people do not understand. only the corrupt would pretend to implement this, and only because they desire the power they didn't earn. the corrupt should not wield power. neither should they wield it and label it RIGHTEOUS JUSTICE.

[matvarn]

yes. nice one

[Kuwa1ti]

It would easier for us readers if you included the lectures URL on the sidebar. Thanks.