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A condensed summary of this chapter for last-minute revision: thinkers, key quotes, definitions, and comparison tables. The full notes are available separately for detailed reading.
1 The Three Principles of Justice, at a Glance
| Principle | Core Idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Equal treatment | No discrimination on class, caste, race, gender | Equal pay for equal work |
| Proportionate justice | Reward in proportion to effort and skill | Marks by quality of answer, not identical marks |
| Recognition of special needs | Extra support for unequal circumstances | Extra exam time for a disabled student, reservation |
2 Quotes and Thinkers Worth Remembering
Who Said What
ConfuciusA king should maintain justice by punishing wrongdoers and rewarding the virtuous
Plato, The RepublicExplores justice through the Socrates-Glaucon-Adeimantus dialogue
Immanuel KantEvery human being has dignity, so each is due the chance to develop their talents and pursue their goals
John RawlsThe “veil of ignorance”: not knowing your future position makes rational self-interest side with the worst-off
B.R. Ambedkar“A Just society is that society in which ascending sense of reverence and descending sense of contempt is dissolved into the creation of a compassionate society.”
J.S. Mill“Justice implies something which it is not only right to do and wrong not to do; but which some individual person can claim from us as his moral right.”
3 Rawls’ Argument, in Three Lines
Imagine yourself behind a “veil of ignorance”, not knowing what position you will occupy in future society. Everyone, reasoning purely out of self-interest, will think: “what if I turn out to be among the worst-off?” So they choose rules that protect even the weakest, this fairness comes from rational self-interest, not generosity.
4 Definitions, Exactly as They Should Be Written
All Definitions in One Place
Distributive justiceThe just sharing out of a society’s benefits and duties among its members
Veil of ignoranceRawls’ imagined state in which a person does not know their own future social position
Free marketA system in which individuals freely negotiate property, prices and wages without state interference
Basic minimum needsNutrition, housing, clean water, education and a minimum wage
5 Two Sides of a Debate, Don’t Mix Them Up
5.1 Free Markets versus State Intervention
Free market supporters
- The market sees only talent, not caste, religion or gender
- Gives people more choice
- State’s role should stay limited to a legal framework
State intervention supporters
- Free markets often end up favouring the already privileged
- Private services rarely reach remote or poor areas
- The state should guarantee basic minimum facilities
5.2 Three Concrete Steps Taken in India
Abolition of untouchability, reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in government jobs and education, and land reforms by state governments for a fairer distribution of land.
Final Recap
- Three principles of justice: equal treatment, proportionate justice, recognition of special needs; governments have to harmonise them, since they can pull in different directions
- Rawls’ veil of ignorance: not knowing your future position makes rational self-interest side with the worst-off
- Basic minimum needs: nutrition, housing, clean water, education, minimum wage
- Free markets versus state intervention: both sides have arguments, but free markets often favour those already privileged
- Three steps taken in India: abolition of untouchability and reservation (by the Constitution), land reforms (by state governments)
- Remember Ambedkar’s and Mill’s definitions word for word
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