Philosophy

Philosophy Study Guide

required. Rawls is not advocating a social model in which everybody is entitled to exactly the same amount of wealth and income; rather, he is simply suggesting that people have an equal opportunity to acquire such wealth and income. Rawls recognized that it is sometimes in the interest of society to have economic inequalities and recognized that not everyone is equally talented and some members of society are at a disadvantage due to disabilities, age, and any number of other variables. Rawls believes that such inequalities should enrich society as a whole by rewarding excellent performance and that a just society not merely provides a safety net, but that is distributes social goods unequally so as to maximize the status of those worst off-society makes their unequal status the best that it can be. In summary, Rawls’ two principles of society are: ● Each person should have the greatest amount of political freedom that is compatible with equal freedom for all citizens. ● Economic wealth and income should provide everyone with an equal opportunity to secure all positions. In addition, any economic inequalities (such as incentives for superior performance) should be designed to benefit all people in society including the least advantaged persons. Rawls’ modern liberalism is founded on the assumption that all citizens are entitled to equal opportunities to achieve their maximum potential. Rawls suggests that to conceive a fair and just society, we need to assume a veil of ignorance regarding our own standing and situation within the idealized society. 10.10 Marx and Engels: Justice is Based on Need and Ability Liberalism is a sociopolitical theory that emphasizes the liberty, rights, and responsibilities of the individual and is tied to the concept of social contract reflected in the views of Hume, Locke, and Rawls. Liberalism is a just society is one in which individuals are free to pursue their own interests and achieve their own goals. The role of government is to ensure that individuals’ rights are protected so that they can pursue their free choices without interference from others. Socialism is the sociopolitical philosophy that is the major competitor to liberalism. For socialism, a just society is one in which the wealth and property produced by society belongs to everyone and ought to be shared with everyone. In sharp contrast to liberalism’s emphasis on the rights of the individual, socialism takes as its starting point the welfare of the entire community of individuals, and its central theme is captured in Karl Marx’s slogan, “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” Liberalism and socialism are the two predominant ideologies in the modern world, and most modern societies are a version of one or the others or some blending of the two. In general, societies that are characterized as capitalistic, which is a social organization based on the free market exchange of goods and services, are considered build on the principles of liberalism. Societies characterized as communist, which is a social organization based on communal ownership of resources and communal self-government, are considered built on the principles of socialism. Karl Marx is the political theorist who is considered to be the architect of modern socialism, and his views have had a profound impact. Marx believed that ideas should be alive, with real world consequences, a view captured in his statement that, “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways: the point is to change it.” Marx believed that this change is best accomplished through social and political action. Marx was drawn to the ideas of Georg Hegel who believed that

©2018

Achieve

Page 115

of 126