John Rawls

John Rawls had many abstract, complicated ideas about justice and fairness. His writing in, “A Theory of Justice,” was somewhat difficult to interpret. It was clear that he believed in equality among different sectors of social classes within our society today. He established, from early on in the text, that economic and social success was mostly based on cooperation. Even the people with the least number of advantages could succeed among the elite in society, with of course, the help of the upper class. John Rawls’ writing felt somewhat vague to me, though it was clear that his ideas were some of the most profound of his time. This new idea of equality among different social classes was probably unheard of for hundreds of years. Most people seem to believe that social and economic success is earned through hard work, that cooperation alone cannot help the lower classes flourish. In some ways, I do strongly agree with John Rawls. His ideas about justice and fairness were fascinating. I also believe that with enough cooperation, with enough people making an effort to help promote equality and success, there could be thousands more people living in better conditions. In “A Theory of Justice,” Rawls says that justice cannot be fair if some people dominate in the areas of wealth, power, and opportunities. I found this idea also very thought-provoking. If wealthier people could help provide more opportunities to the struggling, lower class, many people would be living more stable lives. “A Theory of Justice,” though somewhat vague, was an interesting look at justice in today’s society.