Economic Modeling in Rawls

Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics 15 (2):aa–aa (2022)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Critics of Rawls's A Theory of Justice frequently envision his original position as containing a human consciousness. Thus, the re- strictions Rawls introduces for this ‘individual’—the lack of particular circumstantial and personal information—is considered a potential problem. The very ways in which Rawls circumscribes the knowledge available in this position is thought to compromise the personhood of the individual there, and hence as well the conclusions reached (that is, Rawls’s two principles). This paper will argue that, on the contrary, the lack of full personhood is a critical part of Rawls’s modeling strategy, and that Rawls borrowed this particular sense of modeling from eco- nomics. It is well known that Rawls worked to verse himself in economic theory, and it is difficult to overlook its use in Theory. It will be argued that it is through parallels with economic reasoning that Rawls’s original position model can be most fruitfully understood.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 93,642

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

A theory of justice?Philip Pettit - 1974 - Theory and Decision 4 (3-4):311-324.
Rawls and Economics.Daniel Little - 2013 - In Jon Mandle & David A. Reidy (eds.), A Companion to Rawls. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 504–525.
Economic Equality: Rawls versus Utilitarianism.Stephen W. Ball - 1986 - Economics and Philosophy 2 (2):225-244.
Rawls on global economic justice: a critical examination.Rekha Nath - 2020 - In Jon Mandle & Sarah Roberts-Cady (eds.), Rawls on global economic justice: a critical examination. Oxford University Press. pp. 313-328.
The Choice of Economic Systems in the Rawlsian Original Position.Justin P. Holt - 2011 - Critique: Journal of Socialist Theory 3 (39):393-405.
John Rawls: Reticent Socialist.William A. Edmundson - 2017 - New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.
A Just Global Economy: In Defense of Rawls.David A. Reidy - 2007 - The Journal of Ethics 11 (2):193-236.

Analytics

Added to PP
2023-01-25

Downloads
1 (#1,722,932)

6 months
3 (#1,723,834)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

David Coker
George Mason University

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references