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A Theory of Justice

John Rawls · 1971 (revised edition 1999) · Long

4.3 from 3 reviews

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At a glance

Difficulty
Advanced Demanding: best after some study of the subject.
Length
Long
Where to start
Read the first three chapters, which make up Part One, before deciding…
Questions it addresses
Distributive Justice
Moral Epistemology
1 more
Reading path
Step 7 of 7 in Political philosophy: power, justice, freedom

What it is

Rawls's attempt to give a theory of justice for the basic structure of society that is a stronger alternative to utilitarianism. The book has three parts: Theory, Institutions and Ends. In Part One he imagines representatives choosing principles from an 'original position' behind a 'veil of ignorance', not knowing their own place in society, talents or conceptions of the good. He argues they would choose two principles: equal basic liberties for all, and social and economic inequalities arranged so that there is fair equality of opportunity and so that they benefit the least advantaged, known as the difference principle. Part Two applies the principles to constitutions, economic institutions and civil disobedience, and Part Three argues that a just society would be stable.

Why read it

It revived political philosophy in the English-speaking world, and its veil of ignorance remains one of the most widely used thought experiments for thinking about fairness.

Where to start

Read the first three chapters, which make up Part One, before deciding how much of the rest you need.

Talking about John Rawls

Reading path

Questions it addresses

Reviews

  1. Javier Ferrandis

    Economists and philosophers both claim Rawls, and both misread him. The difference principle is not about maximising equality; it allows inequality that benefits the worst off. I assign Part One to my students and we argue about whether maximin reasoning is rational under the veil. Long and sometimes tedious, but foundational.

  2. Deepa Kartha

    In Indian constitutional debates people reach for Rawls constantly, sometimes alongside Ambedkar. Reading him, I was struck by how much he assumes a society with a shared liberal culture. The section on civil disobedience was more relevant to my studies than I expected.

  3. Nur Aisyah Rahman

    The veil of ignorance is the most practical tool I know for thinking about algorithmic fairness: whom would you design for if you might be anyone? I skimmed much of Parts Two and Three, which are slow, but Part One has changed how I run design reviews at work.