John Rawls Vs Nozick
Regarding justice in a society, both John Rawls and Robert Nozick express differing opinions on the best way to reach this. Both philosophers illustrate what they feel justice to be and offer support for their ideas in their efforts to put forth the best argument. Before being able to decide on which argument is the strongest, it is best to understand the ideas each philosopher possesses in order to compare and contrast them.
John Rawls argues that the principles of justice that govern the basic structure of society are the principles that would be agreed upon in a hypothetical fair bargaining position, which he calls “the original position.” Throughout his writing, Rawls describes the original position and conveys how it would lead to agreement on two principles of justice. The first principle that he describes says that each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all. The second principle requires that social and economic inequalities must exist only if they are to everyone’s advantage and attached to positions that are open to everyone under conditions of fair equality of opportunity. …show more content…
Nozick illustrates his belief that people are entitled only to those holdings that they have originally acquired in a just manner or that have been transferred to them in a just manner. He goes on to say how people own themselves and their labor and what their labor produces as well. From this, Nozick says that any system that threatens or takes away things from people and gives them to others is unjust. He continues on the subject by writing how principles or practices that distribute goods according to some other scheme are morally indefensible because they violate individuals’ rights to the holdings that they have justly
John Rawls argues that the principles of justice that govern the basic structure of society are the principles that would be agreed upon in a hypothetical fair bargaining position, which he calls “the original position.” Throughout his writing, Rawls describes the original position and conveys how it would lead to agreement on two principles of justice. The first principle that he describes says that each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all. The second principle requires that social and economic inequalities must exist only if they are to everyone’s advantage and attached to positions that are open to everyone under conditions of fair equality of opportunity. …show more content…
Nozick illustrates his belief that people are entitled only to those holdings that they have originally acquired in a just manner or that have been transferred to them in a just manner. He goes on to say how people own themselves and their labor and what their labor produces as well. From this, Nozick says that any system that threatens or takes away things from people and gives them to others is unjust. He continues on the subject by writing how principles or practices that distribute goods according to some other scheme are morally indefensible because they violate individuals’ rights to the holdings that they have justly