Constructivism in Rawls

Abstract

In A Theory of Justice Rawls offers a detailed argument for three fundamental principles of justice – distributing equal basic liberties, equal opportunities and maximin income and wealth1 – derived from the following general conception of ‘justice as fairness’. All social primary goods – and opportunity, income and wealth, and the bases of self-respect – are to be distributed equally unless an unequal distribution of any or all of these goods is to the advantage of the least favoured. Apart from some modifications to the first principle of equal – , and changes to the way in which primary goods are conceived of as appropriate goods for distribution by principles of justice, Rawls retains his commitment to justice as fairness in Political Liberalism