Philosophy

Philosophy Study Guide

regimes throughout history, Hume argued that political states have little interest in the rights of the citizens. 10.9 Rawls: The State of Nature is a Conceptual Tool In his book entitled A Theory of Justice , John Rawls put a modern interpretation on the social contract theory. He agreed with Hume that the notion of people living in a state of nature and then assembling to enter into a social contract were historical fictions. Rawls believed that we could still make productive use of these concepts by viewing them as theoretical constructs for understanding the nature, purpose, and authority of government and the state. Rawls believed that the primary value of society is that it be based on justice and his concept of justice is necessarily tied to the concept of fairness. For society to be truly just, it must be truly fair and this is where he introduces his concept of the Veil of Ignorance. In this concept, Rawls discusses imagining an ideal society that you had no idea who exactly you would be in this new society because everything about you would be hidden behind a veil of ignorance that would conceal your gender, age, race, talents, education, parents— everything that defines you as an individual. Rawls is confident that most people will want to be assured that they will be guaranteed fair treatment and equal opportunities, whatever their situation turns out to be. Rawls believed that humans are fundamentally rational creatures who are interested in using their reasoning abilities to enter into a mutually productive social relationship with others. Rawls believed that we should use the idea of the social contract as a conceptual tool for determining how best to construct a fair and just society, and to achieve this end he suggests that we employ a veil of ignorance to develop the fundamental principles of justice on which society should be built. Rawls believed that this process will result in a fair and impartial analysis because the veil will ensure that no one knows his fortune in the distribution of natural assets and abilities, his intelligence, strength, and the like and because we cannot be sure what social position we occupy in society, we have no choice but to create a system that will ensure that we are treated fairly and justly no matter who we are. Rawls held two cardinal principles on which a just society should be based. The first deals with the basic liberties of citizens and he believes that every person should have the maximum amount of freedom that is compatible with the freedom for all and this includes: ● Voting and being eligible to run for office ● Freedom of speech and assembly ● Freedom of conscience and thought ● Freedom of the person and the right to hold property ● Freedom from arbitrary arrest and seizure The second principle deals with economic issues and states that each person should have an equal opportunity to seek careers and economic opportunities meaning that every position should be open to all people and that the sole criterion for determining which people are selected for these positions is their qualifications. The second principle also means that every person should have an equal opportunity for the education and training that would enable them to develop the qualifications

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