A Theory of Justice (Rawls)

Details

Photo

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Name

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Field

Moral philosophy

Year

1971

Core idea

If we chose the rules of society from behind a veil of ignorance, we’d design institutions that are fairer to the least advantaged.

Why it stuck

Turned abstract fairness into a mental game I now play whenever I’m glaring at uneven turnstile lines.

Read where

Printed excerpts, dog-eared and coffee-stained, in a cramped East Village studio and on late-night D trains.