Question

explain the following main concept that rawls uses. give definitions where he does and cite any examples he uses to illustrate. be specific in your answer.

1. Original position

2. Nature of choice

3. Veil of ignorance

4. maximin theory

5. two principles of justice

2 pages

Answer 1

1) The original position is a central feature of John Rawls's social contract account of justice, “justice as fairness,” set forth in A Theory of Justice (TJ). The original position is designed to be a fair and impartial point of view that is to be adopted in our reasoning about fundamental principles of justice.For example, in the Lockean state of nature, the parties agree to establish a civil society in which the government has limited powers and the duty to protect the persons and property of citizens.
2) The nature of choice is complex. It involves selecting one option and leaving others behind.Choice often creates the balance of power in a relationship.Choice can cause friction or be a source of strength if partners decide together.An example of choice is someone deciding what to have for dinner.
3) The "veil of ignorance" is a method of determining the morality of issues. It asks a decision-maker to make a choice about a social or moral issue and assumes that they have enough information to know the consequences of their possible decisions for everyone but would not know, or would not take into account, which person they are. The theory contends that not knowing one's ultimate position in society would lead to the creation of a just system, as the decision-maker would not want to make decisions which benefit a certain group at the expense of another, because the decision-maker could theoretically end up in either group.The idea has been present in moral philosophy at least since the eighteenth century.The Purpose of the Veil of Ignorance. Because people behind the Veil of Ignorance do not know who they will be in this new society, any choice they make in structuring that society could either harm them or benefit them. If they decide men will be superior, for example, they must face the risk that they will be women.
4) A principle of decision theory, that counsels that at least in some circumstance, the right decision is that which maximizes the minimum outcome: i.e., that which makes the worst outcome as good as can be.The principle is often described as risk aversive.
The maximin person looks at the worst that could happen under each action and then choose the action with the largest payoff. They assume that the worst that can happen will, and then they take the action with the best worst case scenario. The maximum of the minimums or the "best of the worst".
5) Rawls contends that the most rational choice for the parties in the original position are two principles of justice.The first guarantees the equal basic rights and liberties needed to secure the fundamental interests of free and equal citizens and to pursue a wide range of conceptions of the good.