The Perfectionisms of John Rawls
11 Can. J.L. & Juris. 383 (1998)
34 Pages Posted: 13 Dec 2012
Date Written: 1998
Abstract
John Rawls’s strict theory of perfectionism would have more appeal if it were reconstructed by balancing it with moderate cultural perfectionism. In his work, A Theory of Justice, John Rawls framed the modern idea of legal perfectionism. In his thought experiment, Rawls gave different players various theories of justice that contrast with his “original position,” in which principles of justice are decided from behind a veil of ignorance. The first of the theories, strict perfectionism, argued society should be structured in a way that produces the utmost levels of excellence in someone, but not everyone. The second theory, moderate perfectionism, asserted that society should be arranged to achieve excellence, but not at the expense of meeting society’s basic needs. Rawls created these theories solely to be rejected, rejecting them primarily because of the controversies inherent in defining excellence. Rawls endorses political liberalism, which pursues the good through an overlapping consensus while avoiding the trappings of the controversy he sees in perfectionism. However, there is no reason Rawls’s preferred method of pursuing the good be applied to a reconstructed theory of perfectionism. Rather than relying on a comprehensive definition of “the good,” excellence can be defined by an overlapping consensus promoting both social and personal maximization, allowing “the good” to be encompassed by a set of pursuits toward excellence.
Keywords: John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Legal perfectionism, strict perfectionism, moderate perfectionism, political liberalism, the good, excellence, societal good, Rawlsian perfectionism
JEL Classification: K00, K1
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?
Recommended Papers
-
Innovations in Credit Risk Transfer: Implications for Financial Stability
-
Credit Derivatives, Disintermediation and Investment Decisions
-
Credit Risk Transfer and Contagion
By Franklin Allen and Elena Carletti
-
By Franklin Allen and Douglas M. Gale
-
Systemic Risk in the Financial Sector: An Analysis of the Subprime-Mortgage Financial Crisis
-
Credit Risk Transfer and Financial Sector Performance
By Wolf Wagner and Ian W. Marsh
-
Credit Risk Transfer and Financial Sector Performance
By Wolf Wagner and Ian W. Marsh
-
Default Risk Sharing between Banks and Markets: The Contribution of Collateralized Debt Obligations
By Guenter Franke and Jan Pieter Krahnen