Q3(a). Analyse John Rawls’s concept of social justice in the Indian context. (150 words)
Answer
The concept of social justice given by John Rawls attempts to solve the problem of ‘distributive justice’ by utilising a variant of the familiar device of the ‘social contract’. The term distributive justice means socially just distribution of goods in a society. The resultant theory is known as ‘Justice as Fairness’, from which Rawls derives his two principles of justice.
1. Society should be structured so that the greatest possible amount of liberty is given to its members, limited only by the notion that the liberty of any one member shall not infringe upon that of any other.
2. Inequalities, either social or economic, are only to be allowed if the worst off will be better off than what they might have been under an equal distribution. If there is such a beneficial inequality, this inequality should not make it harder for those without resources to occupy positions of power including positions in government and public offices. (162 words)