THE CONCEPT OF JUSTICE IN THE WORKS OF JOHN LOCKE AND JOHN RAWLS: CONTRACT AND RATIONALITY


The topic of this essay is the concept of justice in the works of John Locke and John Rawls; the former being the foremost figure associated with classical liberalism, and the latter being associated with the liberal renaissance of the 20th century. I approach the subject by way of 1) delineating the theoretical frameworks put forward by the thinkers, and 2) explicating the concept of justice in connection with some adjacent ideas such as equality, freedom, consent, contract, and rationality. I accept the last two items on the list as particularly significant, and deal with them with special emphasis. In the case of Rawls, the discussion is limited to his early works, A Theory of Justice in particular; since his later writing are characterized by a theoretical turn towards incorporating certain elements of communitarian thought. For both Locke and Rawls, the freedom and equality of human beings operates as a foundational assumption. These concepts carry value and significance by themselves, and seem, furthermore, to combine into the notion of equality in liberty. The idea of rationality in this context appear to be a defining feature of the individual on the one hand, and as a capacity motivating the terms of social cooperation on the other. For Locke and Rawls respectively, contracting into a just society falls in line with rationality by virtue of enabling better protection for natural rights or by enabling the individual to enjoy the benefits of fair social cooperation.


Keywords


John Locke, John Rawls, liberalism, liberal conception of justice, social contract, individual rights, freedom, equality, rationality.

Author : Özlem DENLİ
Number of pages: 1435-1445
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.29228/TurkishStudies.23423
Full text:
Share:
Alıntı Yap:
Turkish Studies-Social Sciences
E-Mail Subscription

By subscribing to E-Newsletter, you can get the latest news to your e-mail.