difference principle
E464100
The difference principle is a central idea in John Rawls’s theory of justice that holds social and economic inequalities are only justified if they benefit the least advantaged members of society.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
component of a theory of justice
ⓘ
normative ethical principle ⓘ principle of distributive justice ⓘ |
| aimsTo |
improve the situation of the least advantaged
ⓘ
regulate the basic structure of society ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
economic inequalities
ⓘ
social inequalities ⓘ |
| associatedWithConcept |
maximin rule
ⓘ
primary goods ⓘ |
| belongsTo | second principle of justice in Rawls's two principles ⓘ |
| compatibleWith | some social and economic inequalities ⓘ |
| conditionOnInequalities | inequalities must work to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged ⓘ |
| contrastsWith |
laissez-faire capitalism
ⓘ
strict egalitarianism ⓘ utilitarianism ⓘ |
| criticizedBy |
Robert Nozick
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
libertarian theorists ⓘ some egalitarian theorists ⓘ |
| domain | basic structure of major social institutions ⓘ |
| evaluatedFrom | original position ⓘ |
| evaluatedInTermsOf |
economic primary goods
ⓘ
social primary goods ⓘ |
| evaluatedUnder | veil of ignorance NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| focusesOn |
distribution of income and wealth
ⓘ
distribution of life prospects ⓘ distribution of opportunities ⓘ |
| formulatedBy | John Rawls NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasGoal | mitigate morally arbitrary effects of social and natural contingencies ⓘ |
| influenced |
later egalitarian liberal theories
ⓘ
public policy debates on inequality ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
Kantian moral philosophy
ⓘ
social contract tradition ⓘ |
| justifiesInequalitiesIf | they benefit the least advantaged members of society ⓘ |
| orderedAfter |
basic liberties principle
ⓘ
fair equality of opportunity principle ⓘ |
| partOf |
John Rawls's theory of justice
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
justice as fairness ⓘ |
| presupposes | fair equality of opportunity ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1971 ⓘ |
| requires |
institutional design to favor the least advantaged
ⓘ
maximizing the expectations of the least advantaged representative group ⓘ |
| statedIn | A Theory of Justice NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| supports |
progressive taxation in some interpretations
ⓘ
redistributive social policies ⓘ |
| usedIn |
debates on welfare state justification
ⓘ
normative economics ⓘ political philosophy ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
John Rawls