John Rawls - A Theory of Justice

 

Please see this extract for discussion about John Rawls' A Theory of Justice.

A Theory of Justice is a 1971 work of political philosophy and ethics by the philosopher John Rawls, in which the author attempts to provide a moral theory alternative to utilitarianism and that addresses the problem of distributive justice (the socially just distribution of goods in a society). 

The resultant theory was challenged and refined several times in the decades following its original publication in 1971. A significant reappraisal was published in the 1985 essay "Justice as Fairness", and a subsequent book under the same title, within which Rawls further developed his two central principles for his discussion of justice. Together, they dictate that 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 member. 

Secondly, inequalities – either social or economic – are only to be allowed if the worst off will be better off than they might be under an equal distribution. Finally, if there is such a beneficial inequality, this inequality should not make it harder for those without resources to occupy positions of power – for instance, public office.

First published in 1971, A Theory of Justice was revised in 1975, while translated editions were being released in the 1990s it was further revised in 1999. In 2001, Rawls published a follow-up study titled Justice as Fairness: A Restatement. The original edition was reissued in 2004.

Note: The above is an extract from Wikipedia on A Theory of Justice.

Some videos

The following videos give an introduction to John Rawls' theory on justice.

"Political Theory - John Rawls" by The School of Life 

https://youtu.be/5-JQ17X6VNg

"Introduction to Rawls: A Theory of Justice" by Then and Now

https://youtu.be/n6k08C699zI 

Merry Christmas and Happy New 2022

 

Thanks to all class members for joining the Philosophy Phor Phun Discussion class this year.   While we have had the issues with lockdowns this year, I have enjoyed having the Zoom classes and occasional in person classes with you all.

Thanks to Helen for helping out with running classes every now and then.  Thanks to June for keeping us informed about U3A issues.  Thanks to everyone for your contribution and patience.  

Attached are a couple of photos of yesterday's outdoor class.  Have a great holiday and I look forward to seeing you next year.  

Regards
Sam

25/11/21

Outdoor Class 24/11/21

Today's class outdoors class will go ahead at the back of U3A Hub.   The weather forecast is for light rain.  The BBQ area has shelter and also we can use the covered area at the back of the U3A Hub if we think that area is better. 

Details are as follows:

Date:  Wednesday 24/11/2021

Time: 12:30 ~2:00 pm (you may wish to stay a bit longer to have a chat after class.)

Location: The BBQ area behind Nunawading U3A Hub (please see pictures below).  If you drive into the main car park, there is a path on the right hand side (West side).  The BBQ area is at the top of the path.   We should also be able to use the covered area at the back of the Hub as well, if we think that area is better.

Things to bring:  Please BYO everything you need for outdoor class/picnic yourself.  So please bring your own folding chairs.  If you do not have one, let me know.  I have some spare ones.  We can also borrow chairs from U3A.  Bring snacks and drinks too.

Weather:  The weather forecast is for light rain.  It should be OK for the class to go ahead.

Topic for discussion:  We will discuss John Rawls.  Please see attached.  Helen will take this class and she has some hard copies printed. 

Regards

Sam

Political Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes

 

Thomas Hobbes believed that it is always better to have security rather than liberty in a country.

The following in Britanica.com gives further information about the political philosophies of Hobbes.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Hobbes/Political-philosophy

Frontispiece of Leviathan

You may be interested to have a look at the frontispiece of Hobbes' masterpiece - "Leviathan".  In it, a giant crowned figure is seen emerging from the landscape, clutching a sword and a crosier, beneath a quote from the Book of Job—"Non est potestas Super Terram quae Comparetur ei. Iob. 41.24" , which means: "There is no power on earth to be compared to him. Job 41 . 24" — further linking the figure to the monster of the book. (note 1)

The torso and arms of the figure are composed of over three hundred persons, in the style of Giuseppe Arcimboldo; all are facing away from the viewer, with just the giant's head having visible facial features. 

The lower portion is a triptych, framed in a wooden border. The centre form contains the title on an ornate curtain. The two sides reflect the sword and crosier of the main figure – earthly power on the left and the powers of the church on the right. Each side element reflects the equivalent power – castle to church, crown to mitre, cannon to excommunication, weapons to logic, and the battlefield to the religious courts. The giant holds the symbols of both sides, reflecting the union of secular, and spiritual in the sovereign, but the construction of the torso also makes the figure the state

Note:

1. Due to disagreements over the precise location of the chapters and verses when they were divided in the Late Middle Ages, the verse Hobbes quotes is usually given as Job 41:33 in modern Christian translations into English, Job 41:25 in the Masoretic text, Septuagint, and the Luther Bible; it is Job 41:24 in the Vulgate.
2. A manuscript of Leviathan created for Charles II in 1651 has notable differences – a different main head but significantly the body is also composed of many faces, all looking outwards from the body and with a range of expressions.

Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviathan_(Hobbes_book)#Frontispiece (2/11/21)

Social Contract Theories of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau

 

The political philosophies of the English philosophers Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), John Locke (1632–1704) and the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–78) are often referred to as Social Contract theories.  The above video looks at the Social Contract theories of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau. Social Contract theories look at what the relationship between people and their government should be.

The following two videos from Youtube published by Philosophy Vibe give more details on the social contract theories of the three philosophers.

Some Definitions

State of nature, in political theory, the real or hypothetical condition of human beings before or without political association. 

Sovereignty, in political theory, the ultimate overseer, or authority, in the decision-making process of the state and in the maintenance of order.

Social contract, in political philosophy, an actual or hypothetical compact, or agreement, between the ruled or between the ruled and their rulers, defining the rights and duties of each. In primeval times, according to the theory, individuals were born into an anarchic state of nature, which was happy or unhappy according to the particular version of the theory. They then, by exercising natural reason, formed a society (and a government) by means of a social contract.

Reference: britannica.com (2/11/2021)

 

Like freedom, democracy is very relevant to what is happening in the world now.  The following video from Philosophy Tube discusses the many questions about democracy:

https://youtu.be/Vr-ZeToI4R8

The article on "Democracy" in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy provides useful material on the topic.

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/democracy/#JustDemo 

Some questions are:

• What is democracy?
• What are the characteristics of a democracy?
• How is democracy a good thing?
• Can leaders be trained? Who decides the curriculum?
• What qualities should leaders of democracies have?
• How do we get good leaders rather than people who are just good at winning elections?
• Who can vote?  Should criminals and billionaires be excluded?
• Should there be compulsory voting?
• Are values of votes the same?  If not, is it fair that a high value vote is worth the same as a low one?
• Many organisations, like the armed forces and corporations, are not democratic; why do we accept these non-democratic organisations?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of democracies?
• How and why do democracies fail?
• What can we do to improve our democracy?

John Stuart Mill's On Liberty

 

The ABC Philosopher Zone discusses John Stuart Mill's essay "On Liberty" back in 2009 on the 150th anniversary of its publication.  The guest was John Skorupski, Professor of Moral Philosophy, University of St Andrews, Scotland.

The Philosopher Zone program, which was broadcast on 5 Sep 2009, can be found below:

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/philosopherszone/john-stuart-mills-on-liberty-150th-anniversary/3123918 

The program addresses questions like:

• What was the background in which the book was written?
• What were the issues about which Mill was concerned?
• What was the harm principle promoted by Mill?
• Mill was well known as a utilitarian. How can that cohere with his view on liberty?
• What are some of the criticisms of Mill's On Liberty?
• Are freedom and cooperation conflicting concepts?
• How can the states of Australia improve their cooperation?
• How can citizens of a state improve their cooperation?
• If a group of people/entities voluntarily give up a lot of freedom to form the group, is it morally wrong?
• Is it morally wrong for a state or an organisation to impose strict laws or rules on its citizens or members? 

A transcript of the program can be found here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w4BJH9Tcf6TGBWVEMLm43ni7QPDhOjPz/view?usp=sharing