John Rawls

High school (ages 12+)
Philosophy & Big Questions

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/john-rawls

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was John Rawls born?February 21, 1921
2. When did John Rawls die?November 24, 2002 (age 81)
3. Where was John Rawls born?Baltimore, Maryland, USA
4. Who was John Rawls?John Rawls was a brilliant thinker who lived from 1921 to 2002. He wrote about fairness and how societies should be organized.
5. What is the "original position" and why is it important?The original position is a pretend situation where people pick rules for society without knowing who they are. This helps make sure the rules are fair to everyone.

Justice as Fairness: Rawls's comprehensive theory of justice, advocating for equal basic liberties and the difference principle to benefit the least advantaged.
Original Position: A hypothetical contractual situation designed to determine fair principles of justice under conditions of impartiality.
Veil of Ignorance: A conceptual constraint within the original position that removes knowledge of personal attributes, ensuring unbiased principle selection.
Difference Principle: The principle stating that social and economic inequalities are justified only if they maximize the well-being of the least fortunate members of society.