Blackwell Reference Online

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E thics, political philosophy for Rawls, primary goods are essential for pursuing any rational plan of life and are used to determine a thin conception of the good . A thin theory of the good explains why these primary goods are what any rational person would desire and it also gives insight into the notion of rationality that leads from these goods to the choice of principles of justice . Such an account is necessary to understand the motives and choices of participants in the original position . Once principles of justice are derived from the original position, we may develop a full conception of the good and therefore a full theory of the good. “We need what I have called the thin theory of the good to explain the rational preference for primary goods and to explicate the notion of rationality underlying the choice of principles in the original position.” Rawls, A Theory of Justice ... log in or subscribe to read full text