ISSN:
1573-7187
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Sociology
,
Economics
Notes:
Abstract In a series of major papers culminating in A Theory of Justice, John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1971. Future page references to the book are placed in parentheses. Some of Rawls' basic ideas were set forth earlier in his ‘Justice as Fairness’, The Philosophical Review 57 (1958) 164–94. John Rawls constructs an alternative to utilitarianism by developing a social contract theory of moral and political philosophy. Unfortunately, Rawls formulates the two basic principles upon which the theory rests in such a way as to restrict (unduly) the contract theory's applicability (see Section I). In this paper we present a more general discussion of the theory of justice that avoids the problems of Rawls' formulation and yet retains the important idea of justice as fairness and the contractarian approach (Section II). Later it is argued that this more general theory constitutes a bridge between the pure utilitarian theories and the social contract doctrines (Sections V and VI). The theory's advantages are demonstrated by applying it to a problem discussed by Rawls, intergenerational equity, and comparing the two solutions (Section III). Further comparisons are made and inferences drawn in the concluding three sections.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00136654
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