Background of the Study: This research aims to utilize John Rawls’ Theory of Justice to critically diagnose the Political Dynasty in the Philippines. Rawls’ theory seeks to promote equity among the citizens of a state. Rawls’ goal in his Theory of Justice is to promote equal rights among the people in the state. By looking at the status of political dynasty in the Philippines from the Rawlsian perspective, we can see what we can say about it. This research answers three fundamental questions: What is John Rawls’ Theory of Justice? What is the status of Political Dynasty in the Philippines? How can we apply Rawlsian Justice to Philippine Political Dynasty? This paper would discuss the Theory of Justice of John Rawls. The next chapter is where the paper would discuss the status of Political Dynasty …show more content…
The third chapter will now be the application of the two topics, wherein John Rawls’ Theory of justice would be used to criticize the Political Dynasty in the Philippines. Imagine that a person has set for himself the task of developing a totally new social contract for today’s society. How could he do this fairly? Although, he could never actually totally exclude his personal prejudices and biases, he would need to take steps at least to minimize them. I will start my research by giving a short background on John Rawls’ Theory of Justice. Rawls begins his theory with the idea of justice as fairness. He identifies the basic structure of society as the primary subject of justice and identifies justice as the first virtue of social institutions. Justice as fairness aims to describe a just arrangement of the major political and social institutions of a liberal society: the political constitution, the legal system, the economy, the family, and so on. He considers justice a matter of the organization and internal divisions of a society. The main idea of a theory of justice asks what kind of organization of society
[3]In a thought experiment proposed by philosopher John Rawls, individuals are asked to imagine designing a just society under a veil of ignorance, a concept urging people to prioritize fairness and equality since they can't predict whether their social structures will advantage or disadvantage them. Similarly, [4]Dr. King stresses a fair and harmonious society in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," except that he focuses on solving existing problems rather than creating a whole new society. The most fundamental difference between Dr. King and John Rawls is that Dr. King confronts a real problem that exists in a real society. In contrast, John Rawls only proposes a theoretical solution.
In this kind of fair society, decisions and social acts will be made without bias or predisposed advantage of a group of people against others. Rawls’ experiment makes us think deeper and objectively which kind of society we would think just. When a political decision is made, we should try to use the veil of ignorance in order to see how fair this measure
Rawls’ idea of justice as fairness, which he presented in his book, “A Theory of Justice,” emphasizes the importance of equal opportunities and equal distribution of wealth and resources in society. This idea resonates with me because, as someone who values fairness and equality, I believe that everyone should have the same chance to succeed and live a fulfilling life. Rawls’ work has taught me to be more aware of societal inequalities and to work towards creating a fairer and more just
Rawls was not happy whit the original arguments about what makes a social institution just. The utilitariam argument says that societies should pursue the greatest good for the greatest number. This argument has many problems, excpecially that it seems to be consistant with the belief of majorities over minorities. The institution argument holds that human intuit what is wright or wrong by some innate moral sense. Rawls attempts to provide a good account of social justice through the social contract approach.
John Rawls is probably the most influential political philosopher of the 20th century. His well-known difference principles, as well as the "Veil of Ignorance" not only show on the textbook of any students study politics but are also frequently cited by politicians in public debates. However, the Rawlsian theory of justice has received many critics as well. One thing that is attacked most, is the fact that the whole theory is mainly based on assumptions of an ideal society. It is seen as problematic by many scholars.
The principle that comes first assures every person’s right to own the most expansive fundamental liberty that is compatible with other people’s liberty. While the second one speaks that economic and social positions should be (a) for the advantage of everyone and (b) open or accessible to all. While the subject of the theory of justice of Rawls centers the basic structure of the society specifically on how the distribution of significant vital rights and duties are performed by the major institutions and how the division of vantages derived from a social cooperation is being
In our society, people are either born rich and powerful, having the rights and opportunities that those who are born into lower-class would not have. So why should we live in a government system where we allow these inequities to happen? In Justice, Michael J. Sandel discusses John Rawls’ arguments over defining a just society. Rawls believes that “we should reject the contention that the ordering of institution is always defective because the distribution of natural talents and the contingencies of social circumstance are unjust, and this injustice must inevitably carry over to human arrangements. Occasionally this reflection is offered as an excuse for ignoring injustice, as if refusal to acquiesce in injustice is on par with being unable to accept death.
People have long considered how to appropriately structure society in order to provide the most justice and equality for all. Governments have been attempting to implement constitutions that provide these justice. However, before an emerging state can provide a just constitution, the theories of justice behind the constitution must be valid. Although Rawls has created a theory of justice that can detect injustice well, the rational falls short of persuasive as it disregards interpersonal comparisons of utilities, alternatives to the maximin strategy, and the end result principle. Before we can understand what Rawls’ theory of justice is, we must first understand the situation in which he imagines the theory of justice being initiated for society -- he calls this the original position.
Justice is derived from the root word just, meaning agreeing to what is considered morally right or good; treating people in a way that is morally right; or reasonable or proper. However, society has become so entangled up in the power which certain individuals possess, they forget all about what is “just”. The justice theory is that justice is at the advantage of the stronger. When an individual is described or depicted as being “strong”, that individual is typically of a larger build, possesses some sort of weapon that causes them to be mighty, and is typically large in size. No matter what circumstances arise, these individuals are expected to be victorious in each battle they fight.
Shelby fails in his attempt to use Rawls’ apparatus for achieving corrective racial justice. Although Rawls “does not directly address matters of compensatory justice” (“Race and Social Justice” 1711), Shelby thinks his theory established in A Theory of Justice can be used to solve this problem. Shelby uses FEO, a principle in Rawls’ ideal apparatus, to solve racial justice, which is a matter of non-ideal theory. To show why Shelby’s interpretation and application of Rawls’ theory is flawed, I will use three criticisms delineated by Charles Mill in “Retrieving Rawls for Racial Justice?:
Political theorists, whether they are realists, or liberalists, over the centuries, have come into conflict over what they believe to be the utmost important task of the state. Hobbes believes the most important task of the state is to ensure law and order, rooting his argument in the idea of a sovereign ruler. On the other hand, Rawls, a modern theorist, firmly believes that a state should focus on realising justice within their society. While a utopian society cannot be achieved by either of these theories, I will highlight why Rawls was right in his assumption that the main focus of a state should be to ensure justice for all within their nation, through analysing and comparing the conflicting arguments of Hobbes and Rawls.
In Rawls’ paper, “Two Concepts of Rules”, he sheds light on fact that a distinction between justifying a practice and actions that fall under said practice, must be made. This distinction, according to Rawls is crucial in the debate between Utilitarianism and Retributivism, more specifically in defending the Utilitarian view against common criticisms, which will be addressed further in this essay. This essay will be examining the troubling moral question that Rawls addresses; The subject of punishment, in the sense of attaching legal penalties to the violation of legal rules. Rawls acknowledges that most people hold the view that punishing, in broad terms, is an acceptable institution. However, there are difficulties involved with accepting
Or, would it be more just if there were three different sized stools and the tallest stool was given to the shortest man, the medium stool was given to the medium-sized man, and the shortest stool was given to the tallest man? This hypothetical situation presents one of the pressing questions of social justice: is social justice about equal treatment for everyone or helping those who need more help than others? John Rawls would say that the equal treatment would yield the most just outcomes. There is justice when everyone has equal opportunity and access to certain rights. Everyone has equal access to the same size stool; therefore, everyone is benefited.
John Rawls believed that if certain individuals had natural talents, they did not always deserve the benefits that came with having these abilities. Instead, Rawls proposed, these inherent advantages should be used to benefit others. Although Rawls makes an excellent argument on why this should be the case, not all philosophers agreed with his reasoning, especially Robert Nozick. Nozick believed in distributing benefits in a fair manner in accordance with the Entitlement Theory, which has three subsections: Just Acquisition, Just Transfer and Just Rectification.
In the article “The Need for More Than Justice”, Annette Baier discusses the justice and care perspective and explains why the justice perspective can be looked at as an inadequate moral theory. Baier differentiates perspectives from many philosophers, including the care perspective from Carol Gilligan, from her book In a Different Voice, and the justice perspective from both John Rawls, his work included A Theory of Justice, and Immanuel Kant, his work included Metaphysics of Morals. Justice remains a social value that carries great importance; Rawls looks to justice as being the ‘first’ virtue of social institutes, this to Baier is a claim that should be challenged, saying that justice needs to be looked upon as a virtue, one among many,