John Rawls theory of Justice and Utilitarianism
John Rawls theory of Justice and Utilitarianism:
Using quotations from readings posted under ‘John Rawls Essay Draft Files’ explain why Rawls
believes that people in the ‘original position,’ ‘under the veil of ignorance,’ would choose his
distributive principle (the ‘difference principle’) 2) Explain why he believes these people would
not choose the utilitarian distribution.
I encourage you to: search the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and to look for summaries
of Rawls’s argument.
What I am looking for: 1) The use of more than one quotation. 2) A draft that explains each
prompt: why would Rawls’s agents choose the difference principle, and why would they not
choose the utilitarian?
General guidance: Your task is to explain what John Rawls thought. You are not supposed to
evaluate his arguments but rather to simply explain them. Explaining his arguments, however,
requires getting at their essence; it requires passing over what is less important to focus on what
is key. Your goal is to state his arguments precisely and to exhibit an understanding of their
meaning.
Consider the difference between a summary and an explanation.
Here is a summary of a (imaginary) movie: A man goes to a store. At the store he meets
someone. Over a succession of dates they fall in love. They have a serious argument and grow
distant. They get back together.
Here is an explanation of the same (imaginary) movie: It is a story about the challenges and yet
the possibility of respecting differences between people [This is a statement of a theme, or
general message]. This theme is evident in the reconciliation scene at the park [Evidence for my
claim]: They do not simply come to an agreement, nor do they agree to disagree, they respect
their differences. The differences between them become part of what they love about one
another.
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