Configure John Rawls’ theory of justice.

 Rawls’s Liberal-Egalitarian Principles of Social Justice: Rawls’s theory of justice is based on the correction of the liberal-utilitarian principles of the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people. 

Differing from this principle, Rawl maintains that the liberal-utilitarian view of justice is morally wrong. He appreciates their contribution to justice, it justifies the sacrifice of the good of some of the individuals for the happiness of the greatest number.

Rawl criticizes the utilitarian for their neglect to the welfare and justice for each member of the society for the aggregate sum of the utility and happiness. It is more concerned about the happiness of the aggregate or the whole as against the each and every member of the society.

Rawl views it as morally flawed and provides an alternative to utilitarianism. His view of justice is inspired by the Kantian Moral Idea of equality of every man and freedom. Kant opines that all men are equal because they enjoy the same capacity to be moral and formulate moral laws. Hence, everyone should have equality in every possible respect, and all men are equal, they should be treated equally.

As Rawls has maintained that justice is the first virtue of society, and it should always take priority over other good.  It is nothing but the welfare in another sense Rawls put forward the theory of justice, which is in harmony with the needs and requirements of the welfare state.

As he has aptly commented: “If law and Government act effectively to keep the market competitive, resources fully employed, proper and wealth widely distributed over time and to maintain the appropriate social minimum, then if there is equality of opportunity underwritten by education to all, the resulting distribution will be just.” Rawls stands for the privileges and inequalities, not for the maximisation of the social good as is the case with the utilitarian.

He champions the privileges and inequalities and positive discrimination for the improvement of the least advantaged and downtrodden people. As he maintains that Social and economic policies be aimed at maximizing the long-term expectations of the least advantaged under conations of fair equality and opportunity.’

Rawls justified the welfare state on the ground of distributive justice. It harmonizes the relations between the state and the market.  As a free-market economy results in the concentration of wealth and inequality, which undermines individual freedom and liberty, it must be regulated by the state.

It gives importance to the individuals and does not allow the market forces to undermine his individuality. If the market forces narrow down these choices, it is the duty of the welfare state to do away with factors. The welfare state is that it increases individual liberty. The welfare state has to act as catalyst of socio-economic change in society. It has only distributed the national wealth and resources, but also to provide services and goods to the society. The welfare state, with its interventionist ideology to attain the maximum welfare of the people, is based on the foundations of equality.

Citizenship is one of the foundations of the welfare state. If it strengthens this foundation, it benefits itself as well as enriches citizenship. But the welfare state has failed to deliver the desired result. The all problems of the society, for which the welfare state was conceived-inequality, poverty, injustice, hunger and depredation, the concentration of wealth, etc. are far from being resolved.

Some thinkers like Barry maintain that integration of the welfare theory with the philosophy welfare state is an intellectual error. This is so proper attention was not given to appropriate institutional mechanism, which resolves these burning issues of humanity. This concept of state activities takes its inspiration from his concept of distributive justice.

He maintains that conditions for the success of this model is to ensure equal opportunities to all. The state must provide and ensure equal opportunity. It insists that state should make investments in public health, education and other socio-economic infrastructures. Thus, Rawls’ concept of justice is based on the main three main tenets: Principle of Fairness, Protective Discrimination and Social Justice.

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