Also: Rawls, justice as fairness, veil of ignorance
Definition
An American political philosopher (1921–2002) whose book "A Theory of Justice" (1971) proposed "justice as fairness", deriving principles of justice from what rational people would choose behind a "veil of ignorance" about their own place in society.
John Rawls served as an infantryman in the Pacific during the Second World War, an experience that shaped his concern with justice and suffering. He spent most of his academic career at Harvard. In the mid-twentieth century, moral and political philosophy in the English-speaking world was dominated by utilitarianism, which judges actions and institutions by whether they maximise total happiness. Rawls argued that utilitarianism could justify sacrificing the rights of some for the greater good of others, and that it "does not take seriously the distinction between persons".
His alternative revived the social contract tradition of Locke, Rousseau and Kant. Instead of asking what people actually agreed to in history, he asked what principles free and equal people would agree to in a fair situation. "A Theory of Justice" (1971) became one of the most influential works of political philosophy in the twentieth century, prompting responses from libertarians such as Robert Nozick, communitarians such as Michael Sandel, and capability theorists such as Amartya Sen.
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