Rawls

Rawls’ Hypothetical Situation

Here’s What they Would Decide:

{ Maximin Principle Gov’t Policies as they benefit citizens The maximin principle is a justice criterion proposed by the philosopher Rawls. It hypothesizes about the just design of social systems -- e.g., rights and duties. According to this principle the system should be designed to maximize the position of those who will be worst off in it. "The basic structure is just throughout when the advantages of the more fortunate promote the well-being of the least fortunate, that is, when a decrease in their advantages would make the least fortunate even worse off than they are. The basic structure is perfectly just when the prospects of the least fortunate are as great as they can be." -- Rawls, 1973, p 328 Gov’t Policies as they benefit citizens { Gap between Rich and Poor

Nozick’s response: Anarchy, State, and Utopia is a work of political philosophy written by Robert Nozick in 1974. This highly acclaimed libertarian book was the winner of the 1975 National Book Award. In opposition to A Theory of Justice by John Rawls, Nozick argues, with lively literary flair, in favor of a minimal state, "limited to the narrow functions of protection against force, theft, fraud, enforcement of contracts, and so on." When a state takes on more responsibilities than these, Nozick argues, rights will be violated.

Robert Nozick Nozick's Entitlement Theory, influenced by John Locke, Ayn Rand, and Friedrich Hayek, sees humans as ends in themselves and justifies redistribution of goods only on condition of consent. 21 Solutions