Ariadne's Thread on Justice
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John Speaking
Yes and no.

Yes, the principles are 'correct' because they are chosen in the original position. And there is no independent criterion to use in order to make sure that they are 'correct.'

But if I'm right about Rawls' view of the original position, we could also say that the principles are 'correct' because they are indirectly derived from deeply embedded ideas about justice found in American culture. Perhaps you will agree with those ideas and, as a result, find Rawls' principles acceptable. Give him a chance.

And keep in mind that Rawls accepts the existence of different world views ("comprehensive doctrines" as he called them in his book Political Liberalism) as the natural product of a free society. He hopes that theists like yourself will find reasons to accept his principles in spite of the fact that they are not based on theology . He wants different people with different world views to be able to accept his principles.


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