PHIL 320A Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Well-Order
30 Aug 2018
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16
- society is well ordered when 1. everyone accepts and knows that the others accept the same
principles of justice and 2. the basic social institutions generally satisfy and are generally
known to satisfy these principles
- public conception of justice as constituting the fundamental charter of a well-ordered human
association
- the plans of individuals need to be fitted together so that their activities are compatible with
one another and they can all be carried through without anyone legitimate expectations being
severely disappointed
- problems of efficiency, coordination, and stability
- 2. the subject of justice
- primary subject of justice is the basic structure of society — the way in which major social
institutions distribute fundamental rights and duties to determine the division of advantages
from social cooperation
- the justice of social scheme depends on how fundamental rights and duties are assigned and
on the economic opportunities and social conditions in the various sectors of society
- scope of inquiry is limited in two ways: 1. concerned with only a special case of the problem
of justice 2. examining the principles of justice that would regulate a well-ordered society
- considering strict compliance theory because it is the only basis for the systematic grasp of
these more pressing problems
- a complete conception deifying principles for all the virtues of the basic structure together
with their respective weights when they conflict is more than a conception of justice; it is a
social ideal
- a conception of justice is an interpretation of the role of justice
- Aristotle defines justice as refraining from gaining some advantage for oneself by seizing
what belongs to others — there is no conflict with Rawls proposed definition
- 3. the main idea of the theory of justice
- the principles of justice for the basic structure of society are the object of original agreement
Document Summary
Society is well ordered when 1. everyone accepts and knows that the others accept the same principles of justice and 2. the basic social institutions generally satisfy and are generally known to satisfy these principles. Public conception of justice as constituting the fundamental charter of a well-ordered human association. The plans of individuals need to be fitted together so that their activities are compatible with one another and they can all be carried through without anyone legitimate expectations being severely disappointed. Primary subject of justice is the basic structure of society the way in which major social institutions distribute fundamental rights and duties to determine the division of advantages from social cooperation. The justice of social scheme depends on how fundamental rights and duties are assigned and on the economic opportunities and social conditions in the various sectors of society.
