Blackwell Reference Online

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John Rawls is generally considered the most significant moral philosopher of the twentieth century. His work has had a profound influence upon political philosophy, as well as political science, sociology, economics, social work, theology, and law. For much of his career he was a faculty member in Harvard's department of philosophy. Rawls's major work was his 1971 book entitled A Theory of Justice . In it he details the basic components of a just or fair society. He begins with what he refers to as the original position. Imagine, Rawls states, that “no one knows his place in society, his class position or social status, nor does anyone know his fortune in the distribution of natural assets and abilities, his intelligence, strength, and the like” (p. 12). Behind such a veil of ignorance, Rawls asks, what would be an acceptable social contract for most people? He argues that individuals in this original position would invariably choose two fundamental principles. The first is that each of us would want to be guaranteed access to the most basic liberties. These would include “political liberty (the right to vote and to be eligible for public office) together with freedom of speech and assembly; liberty of conscience and freedom of thought; freedom of the person along with the right to hold (personal) property; and freedom from arbitrary arrest and seizure as defined by the concept ... log in or subscribe to read full text