JUSTICE AS IDEOLOGY: ANOTHER LOOK AT RAWLS

Abstract

The author feels no critic has adequately explored the Marxist roots of John Rawls’ theories on justice. In order to reveal the “false consciousness” conception inherent in Rawls’ work, he first outlines the basic premises on which the work rests, limiting his inquiry to the interaction between social justice and the basic structure of society. He then considers the academic nature of the theory and academic difficulties arising out of it, by focusing on the way Rawls’ two principles of justice guarantee the status quo. He claims that the juxtaposition of political and economic equality is one of the most dangerous features of Rawls’ theory, because it assumes the existing system is fair and formulates the requisite premises to prove his point.