Motivated by envy, which is not a just reason for benefitting from the hard Secondly, it leaves the possibility that the least advantaged are Problem, where those who do less work can benefit from the extra work done by Firstly, it does not deal with the free-rider Stance of the Original Position provides a promising framework for theĭistribution of advantages in society, it is lacking in certain areas, of which It will argue that while the Difference Principle taken from the This essay will explain this principle and the way in which Rawlsįormulates it. Principle which is arrived at from the hypothetical situation of the Original The idea that any inequality that is permitted should only be permitted on theīasis that it benefits the least favoured in society. People’s liberties should be preserved in distribution. Theįirst principle, which is prioritised over the second, is the idea that Justice proposed by Rawls is underpinned by two fundamental principles.

Social institutions distribute fundamental rights and duties determine theĭivision of advantages from social cooperation’ ‘basic structure of society, or the way in which the major Provides a contract theory of the principles of social justice in terms of the (2017) “Social Justice and Rawls’ Difference Principle”, Thus, this essay concludes with the idea that while Rawls’ theory of social justice is illuminating, the Difference Principle itself has some flaws. Lastly, it does not address the idea that the least advantaged are motivated by envy. Secondly, one could solve this issue by appealing to the concept of desert which rewards people for their natural abilities, however Rawls rejects this idea. Firstly, it does not account for the ‘free-rider problem’ whereby the worse off may benefit more by doing less at the expense of the better off. This paper describes three contentions with Rawls’ theory. Rawls argues that given a situation in which one could not choose one’s status beforehand, people would choose a system of social justice according to the Difference Principle. The Difference Principle is the second principle which states that any inequality that is permitted in society should only be permitted on the basis that it benefits the least favoured in society. In A Theory of Justice John Rawls provides a theory of social distribution based on two principles.

Rawls 1999 a theory of justice