Rawls’s Two Principles of Justice: A Progression
Keith Burgess-Jackson
1 October 2016
The First Principle (Rawls calls it “the Principle of Equal Liberty” in A
Theory of Justice, rev. ed., p. 82):
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“[T]he first [principle of justice] requires equality in the assignment of basic rights and duties” (§3).
“[E]ach person is to have an equal right to the most extensive
scheme of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar
scheme of liberties for others” (§11).
“Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive
total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar
system of liberty for all” (§39, §46; boldface added).
“Each person has an equal right to a fully adequate scheme
of equal basic liberties which is compatible with a similar
scheme of liberties for all” (Political Liberalism, Lecture VIII,
§1; boldface added).
“Each person has the same indefeasible claim to a fully adequate scheme of equal basic liberties, which scheme is compatible with the same scheme of liberties for all” (Justice as Fairness: A Restatement, §13; boldface added).
The Second Principle (consisting of the Principle of Fair Equality of
Opportunity and the Difference Principle):
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“[T]he second [principle of justice] holds that social and economic inequalities, for example inequalities of wealth and authority, are just only if they result in compensating benefits for
everyone, and in particular for the least advantaged members
of society” (§3).
“[S]ocial and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that
they are both (a) reasonably expected to be to everyone’s advantage, and (b) attached to positions and offices open to all”
(§11).
“Social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that
they are both (a) to the greatest expected benefit of the
least advantaged and (b) attached to offices and positions
open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity” (§13; boldface added).
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“Social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that
they are both: (a) to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged, consistent with the just savings principle, and (b)
attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of
fair equality of opportunity” (§46; boldface added).
“Social and economic inequalities are to satisfy two conditions.
First, they must be attached to offices and positions open to all
under conditions of fair equality of opportunity; and second,
they must be to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged
members of society” (Political Liberalism, Lecture VIII, §1).
“Social and economic inequalities are to satisfy two conditions:
first, they are to be attached to offices and positions open to all
under conditions of fair equality of opportunity; and second,
they are to be to the greatest benefit of the least-advantaged
members of society (the difference principle)” (Justice as Fairness: A Restatement, §13).
The first principle is serially (lexically) prior to the second. Within the
second principle, the Principle of Fair Equality of Opportunity is lexically prior to the Difference Principle. Thus, the priority ranking is as
follows:
1. the Principle of Equal Liberty;
2. the Principle of Fair Equality of Opportunity;
3. the Difference Principle.
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