So
far I think the principles are vague and ambiguous. They tell us
something, but not a lot. Rawls himself admits that they are subject
to several different interpretations -- especially the second
principle.
Here's the first version of the second principle
that John gave us:
"[S]ocial and economic inequalities are to be
arranged so that they are both (a) reasonably expected to
be to everyone's advantage, and (b) attached to positions
and offices open to all"
What might this mean? According to Rawls, each of the two parts of
this principle is open to two common interpretations. These
interpretations can be combined into four possible combinations, Rawls
adopts one of these and calls it "democratic equality."
According to the view called "democratic equality," the
phrase "to everyone's advantage" means that no
increase in inequality is just unless it maximizes benefits for the
worst off group. The phrase "open to all" is
interpreted to mean that there is "fair equality of
opportunity" -- and this means roughly that "those with
similar abilities and skills should have similar life chances."
I hope this gives us a more concrete (and less ambiguous) idea of
what Rawls' principles mean.
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