Friday, November 4, 2011
This theory actually takes into account aspects of human nature?!?
This theory, though clearly stated to be hypothetical, does take realistic stances and seems to consider human nature. The first rule of sorts states that "every person has an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty that is compatible with similar liberty for others." Similar liberty. Rawls was speaking based on the knowledge that: YES people have differing levels of ability in differing areas. And YES some of those areas are seen as or literally are more valuable to society than others. A person who has more wealth or status than others, in addition to their met needs, will have it because they have more to offer to society. It is part of human nature to want a hierarchy of skill and ability clear in any area. As soon as a person thinks about baseball, he or she might think about who runs fastest, throws the best, or is best at bat. Even when I think about a friend as a person, I think of their strengths and weaknesses as a person. It's just human nature. And I think this is the first theory that takes this particular aspect of human nature into account, which is interesting, seeing as how big a part of our lives this is. Humans categorize and order in order to better understand their surroundings. This is absolutely just me being a Psych major nerd, BUT I still think it's important to note.
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Totally agree. I think it's really interesting and important that human difference is made a reality in this theory. I like the idea of justice as it comes from placing everyone under the veil of ignorance in order to ensure that advantages and disadvantages in certain areas don't make life totally miserable for certain people. I started thinking about different structures of society and their success according to Rawls's theory. Destiny wrote about the US. It made me think of other, sort of similar states, like those in the EU and states that lean more toward widespread social welfare programs. These programs seem to be built to compensate for advantages/disadvantages. Does it work? Is there a certain type of state that meets his requirements best?
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