Feminist Thought
Perhaps the most significant
American philosopher of the 20th Century
Most significant liberal
theorist since Mill
b.1921 in Baltimore, MD
d. 2002
Studied at Princeton, Oxford
Considered studying for the
priesthood
Lost his faith as an
infantryman in the Pacific in WWII
Later, the Vietnam War led
him to question how the American government could pursue what he saw as a
ruthless and unjust war
Led him to undertake a thorough
critique of the American system
Taught at Cornell, MIT,
eventually Harvard where he held
The James Conan Bryant
Professorship
Awarded the Schock Prize in
Logic and Philosophy and
The National Humanities Medal
in 1999
Practical: to discover bases of agreement in society
To
orient citizens
To
discover practical political arrangements
Reconciliation
Hence, the Òcheck for
stabilityÓ
The most stable conception of justice
is one that is perspicuous to our reason,
congruent with our good, and rooted not
in abnegation but in affirmation of the self
(TJ, 261).
Goal for Individuals
To
find reflective equilibrium
A Theory of Justice (1971)
A contract theory
Like Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau,
Kant
Posits a condition
A heuristic device
Called the Original
Position
Similar to the State of
Nature
From this position he posits
that rational, free and equal people can decide on just principles, design a
just society
Rationality – what
kind?
Minimax behavior?
Utilitarianism?
No, rather, in the sense of a
just reasonableness that is concerned with social justice, the common good
(although he does not use this term)
How? What kind of situation
will
Important concepts
Original position
Veil of Ignorance
The principles of justice are chosen behind
a veil of ignorance. This ensures
that no one is advantaged or disadvantaged in the choice of principles by the
outcome of natural chance or the contingency of social circumstances (624).
Justice as Fairness
Spefically concerned with solving problems
of distributive justice
i.e., the distribution of goods of society
Two Principles of Justice
First, the equal
liberty principle.
Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic
liberty compatible with similar liberty for others.
Second,
a) offices and positions must be open to
everyone under conditions of fair equality of opportunity.
b) they are to be of the greatest benefit
to the least-advantaged members of society (the difference principle).
What kinds of
things violate the fair equality of opportunity principle?
Advantages of
birth, e.g. wealth, social status, class.
Race?
Gender?
The priority of
these principles, Òserial natureÓ of them
i.e., liberty is the
priority
canÕt make trade of to
make some better off at the expense of the liberty of others
Explicitly
rejects utilitarianism
NOT the greatest good
for the greatest number
Rather, for the benefit
of the worst off
Can you think of
examples of US society, economy, politics that violate justice as fairness?
What would people
reasoning from a position the original position, using the justice principles
decide in these areas?
Feminist Uses of
Rawls
Susan Moller Okin (1989). Justice, Gender and the Family.
Basic Books: New York.
Finds that the Ògender
systemÓ is clearly a violation of the principles of justice, e.g womenÕs
disproportionate burden for reproductive, assigning roles in the economy and
family according to gender
See also
S.A. Lloyd
(1998), Anne L. Alstott (2004) and Linda C. McClain (2006)
Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Liberal Feminism
Criticisms of
Rawls
A legitimation of
liberal political society
Esp. social liberalism,
social democracy
Political
Liberalism (1995)
Rawls analyzes
specific, real world institutions according to his principles to discuss where
they do and do not accomplish social justice