Rawls' Theory of Justice

Rawls conceives of the original contract as one to

• enter a particular society

• set up a particular form of government

• establish the principles of justice for the basic structure of society

• establish the content of morality

The purpose of the veil of ignorance is to:

• prevent the people who are entering the contract from deciding on principles of justice that unfairly advantage themselves

• make the decision of which principles of justice to adopt simpler and easier to make

• ensure that the principles of justice selected are not too complicated for ordinary people to follow

• all of the above

Rawls claims that students with fewer natural talents (such as intelligence) should be given:

• more attention and resources than those with more natural talents

• the same level of attention and resources as those with more natural talents

• less attention and resources than those with more natural talents

• virtually no educational resources

Rawls claims that when his two principles come into conflict:

• neither takes precedence over the other

• the Liberty Principle is the more important one, so should take precedence

• the Difference Principle is the more important one, so should take precedence

Which of the following best illustrates Rawls' idea that "when liberty (freedom) comes into conflict with equality, freedom should win out?"

• A woman should have the freedom to choose to follow a religion, even if that religion sees women as inferior to men and creates inequality

• A woman should only be allowed to choose to follow a religion which advocates helping those who are worst off, thereby making society more equal

• If a religion treats woman poorly, then the worst-off members of society should be the ones to decide whether that religion should be permitted

• Rawls believes that religion should be banned because it violates principles of equality and fairness

Rawls came to the conclusion that, from behind the veil of ignorance, people would choose the difference principle. This principle basically says that:

• Everyone in society should have the right to a range of basic freedoms that mustn't be taken away from them.

• Everyone in society should be given the same amount of wealth

• If people receive different amounts of wealth in society, this is only justified if it directly helps the worst off.

• The difference between rich and poor is that the rich work harder than the poor, and therefore deserve what they get.

Which of the following is an example of how the Difference Principle would operate in a society?

• The government would put in place laws to ensure that no-one would be allowed to earn a higher income than anyone else, no matter what job they did or how hard they worked.

• The more money a person earns, the more they would be encouraged to voluntarily donate to charity, since this would benefit the worst off.

• The more money a person earns, the higher their rate of tax would be, and this tax would go towards helping those members of society who are least well-off.

• The poorer a person is, the harder they would be encouraged to work, because thus would minimise the difference between rich and poor.

"I'm hard-working, smart and good at negotiating. I didn't steal my money, I earned it in business. Therefore, I deserve my money and I shouldn't be required to pay taxes".

How would Rawls respond to a person who made this argument?

• It is true that you deserve your money, and you shouldn't have to pay taxes. People deserve to keep the money that they earn through their work, because the way that they got it was a via a fair process- they provided goods or services to other people who wanted them, and were willing to pay for them.

• It is true that you didn't steal your money, but that doesn't mean you deserve it. The qualities you have used to make your money are morally arbitrary- you are just lucky you have them. You didn't deserve to be smart or hard-working. Therefore, you don't deserve your money as such.

• It is true that you didn't steal your money, but that doesn't mean you deserve it. After all, you might have made money by doing something that didn't actually benefit society at all- like by buying real estate and selling it later, at a profit. Therefore, you don't deserve your money as such.

• You're right about not having to pay taxes. Taxation is theft, and the government is illegitimate.

What was the name of Rawls' most famous book?

• The Difference Principle

• A Theory of Justice

• Hooray for Poor People!

• The Veil of Ignorance