This article explores John Rawls's theory of justice as fairness and its application to political discourse. It emphasizes the importance of civility, open-mindedness, and a willingness to engage with opposing viewpoints while respecting individual rights.
The recognition of the freedom to express our views…is not an absolute justification to violate the personal rights of another. AT THIS time when there are opposing opinions on political issues, there are some principles that can guide our behavior as individuals.
Worth considering is the essay of John Bordley Rawls, a moral, legal and political philosopher of the 20th century, who wrote on “Justice as Fairness: Political not Metaphysical,” a theory originally presented in his book “A Theory of Justice.”Rawl’s theory of justice as fairness recommends equal basic liberties, equality of opportunity, and facilitating the maximum benefit to the least advantaged members of society… where inequalities occur (Wikipedia, John Rawls). These principles “are meant to help us work out how we should design our most important social institutions rather than guide our behavior as individuals” (Daniel Chandler, Free and Equal citing John Rawls). However, “they sit alongside an ideal of citizenship, or of how we should treat one another in our capacity as citizens.” According to Rawls, the “ideal of citizenship is a moral duty – the ‘duty of civility’ – to engage in politics in a certain way… partly about how we express ourselves and respond to others” (Daniel Chandler, Free and Equal). In a polarized political environment where people have lost faith in the possibility of a reasonable exchange of ideas, political debate must be approached “with an open mind and a spirit of compromise, a willingness to listen to views we disagree with and to take those views in good faith…” “e should try to abide by the rules of logic and evidence, appealing wherever we can to accepted facts rather than disputed theories” (Daniel Chandler, Free and Equal)
Civility Political Discourse John Rawls Justice As Fairness Polarized Politics
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