Rawls' Theory of Justice

In Our Time: Philosophy

BBC

History

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2023

⏱️ 61 minutes

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Summary

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss A Theory of Justice by John Rawls (1921 - 2002) which has been called the most influential book in twentieth century political philosophy. It was first published in 1971. Rawls (pictured above) drew on his own experience in WW2 and saw the chance in its aftermath to build a new society, one founded on personal liberty and fair equality of opportunity. While in that just society there could be inequalities, Rawls’ radical idea was that those inequalities must be to the greatest advantage not to the richest but to the worst off. With Fabienne Peter Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick Martin O’Neill Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of York And Jonathan Wolff The Alfred Landecker Professor of Values and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford and Fellow of Wolfson College Producer: Simon Tillotson

Transcript

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0:50.2	I hope you enjoyed the programme.
0:52.0	Hello, A Theory of Justice by John Rawls has been called the most influential book in
0:57.4	20th-century political philosophy.
1:00.0	Rawls, 1921-2002, drew in his own experience in World War II and saw the chance in its
1:06.8	aftermath to build a new society founded on personal liberty and fair equality of opportunity.
1:13.4	And while in that just society there could be inequalities, Rawls' radical idea was
1:18.0	that those inequalities must be of the greatest advantage, not to the richest, but to the
1:22.4	worst off.
	...

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