John Rawls
- Rawls’s work is less a ‘comprehensive moral doctrine’ and more a strictly ‘political conception of justice’.
- comprehensive moral doctrine: a set of beliefs, covers all major moral aspects of life
- political conception of justice: framework for structuring a society’s basic political and social institutions
- Rawls argued that modern democratic societies are defined by a permanent pluralism of incompatible yet reasonable beliefs.
- Rawls rejected the idea that a political system can be built on a single shared worldview, as enforcing one would require the oppressive use of state power.
- Rawls redefined ‘primary goods’ from general requirements for human flourishing into the specific tools citizens need to participate in a liberal regime.
- Rawls eliminated perfectionism* because forcing moral standards onto a diverse public threatens peace and stability.
- Rawls sought an ‘overlapping consensus,’ allowing citizens with deeply opposing personal values to still unite around shared political rules.
*the promotion of moral excellence by the government
Essay Plan
| Paragraph | Point | Evidence | Analysis | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a - Agree | Both agree human nature is rational, flexible, and capable of ongoing progress. Education is seen as the vital tool for this growth. | Extract 1: Man is a “progressive being, capable of improvement through education.” Extract 2: Women are “rational creatures” who need “education” to progress. | Reflects rationalism - the belief that humans use logic to improve themselves. Wollstonecraft explicitly rejects the historic view that women are purely emotional. | Connects to John Locke’s view that humans are naturally reasonable.Aligns with Mill’s developmental individualism (focusing on human potential). |
| 1b - Disagree | They differ on what blocks human nature: Extract 1 fears social conformity; Extract 2 attacks structural sexism. | Extract 1: Human nature is “not a machine… but a tree” that must grow freely. Extract 2: Women face a “distortion” by being seen as “females second.” | Extract 1 warns against social tyranny and the “dull conformity” of public opinion. Extract 2 attacks a patriarchal society that denies women the right to use their minds. | Extract 2 mirrors Betty Friedan (The Feminine Mystique, 1963).Friedan argued post-war social norms trapped women in domestic roles, blocking full personhood. |
| 2a - Agree | Both agree human nature can only thrive when individuals have personal autonomy.Self-ownership is required for moral growth. | Extract 1: Individuals must be “free to develop… through choice and experience.” Extract 2: Women’s nature is “to be self-governing and virtuous.” | Aligns with foundational equality - everyone is born with equal moral worth. To grow, individuals must be free agents, not the property of husbands or states. | Links to negative liberty (freedom from external interference).Reflects Mill’s principle that the individual is sovereign over their own mind and body. |
| 2b - Disagree | They differ on the primary political solution: Extract 1 wants personal freedom; Extract 2 demands structural justice. | Extract 1: Advocates for individual “experiments in living.” Extract 2: Realized only when treated as “human beings first, and females second.” | Mill assumes baseline legal rights and targets social pressure. Wollstonecraft argues growth is impossible without foundational justice and the rule of law. | Extract 1 focuses on liberty; Extract 2 aligns with John Rawls’ focus on equality of opportunity. Rawls argued society must be structured fairly (like under a veil of ignorance) for all to progress. |
| Ideally, it is best to always add one key thinker. Try and think about what arguments which could be used before reading the extract. Also, make a plan of 3/4 thinkers. Bullet-point a couple of things to say about each thinker. |