Introduction to Political Philosophy

The Good of Justice

As you read the material for the next class, keep the questions below in mind. To answer these questions you will have to reflect critically on what you have read and possibly re-read important passages. Keep in mind that there are two basic kinds of information that you need to look for in the readings.

  1. What are the main points or conclusions that an author accepts with respect to a particular issue?
  2. What are the reasons or important considerations that lead the author to accept that conclusion?

For our purposes, it is information of the latter sort (2) that will be our primary concern since our most basic task is to evaluate the reasons that are offered to support accepting one possible conclusion about an issue, rather than another. Although I strongly suggest that you write out brief answers to these questions, you do not have to turn in written responses. You do, however, need to be prepared to speak intelligently to these issues in the next class meeting.

Reading:

  • John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Chapter IX (Sections 79, 83-87), pp. 456-464, 480-514.

Questions:

  1. Why does the concept of “social union” provide a satisfactory account of the social nature of mankind? Why is it fundamentally at odds with the notion of “private society”? Why is a well-ordered society, in accord with Justice as Fairness, a social union?
  2. How does Rawls conceive of happiness? Why isn’t this the aim of a rational plan? What is the problem of “the indeterminacy of decision”? How is a single dominant end supposed to solve this problem? Why can’t this end be happiness? Why isn’t it political power, social acclaim, or maximizing material possessions? What does hedonism appear to solve this problem? Why does it ultimately fail? How does this failure illustrate a general problem with teleological theories? Why is Justice as Fairness successful in handling the problem of indeterminacy?
  3. What is a “sense of justice”? Why is having this sense generally in accord with an individual’s good?

 

I love Apache! So should you!