Chapter 9

Rawls states that “the moral conception adopted is independent of natural contingencies and accidental social circumstances” (451). Therefore, moral sense conforms to fair principles, and when acting from such principles, persons act autonomously: “[T]hey are acting from principles that they would acknowledge under conditions that best express their nature as free and equal rational beings” (452). The principles of moral psychology are agencies persons utilize to reach a complete understanding, but a person’s conception of right is ultimately set independently for themselves. Under the contract view and in <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Index of Terms" href="https://www.supersummary.com/a-theory-of-justice/index-of-terms/#673830">the original position</a>, autonomy and objectivity are compatible. Justice as fairness does not dictate that the conscientious judgments of a person always be respected or that persons may form whatever moral convictions they desire. Actions based on conscious directives may violate the principles: “[A] person’s conscience is misguided when he seeks to impose on us conditions that violate the principles to which we would each consent in [the original] situation” (455). In this situation, the offending person’s conscience is not literally respected, but the person is respected by the limiting of the offender’s actions when necessary, as the mutually acknowledged principles permit. When there is social doubt and a loss of faith in long-established values, there is a tendency to rely on the virtues of integrity, rather than the principles of justice.

Chapter 9, Section 78 Summary: “Autonomy and Objectivity”

Chapter 9, Section 79 Summary: “The Idea of Social Union”

Chapter 9, Section 80 Summary: “The Problem of Envy”

Chapter 9, Section 81 Summary: “Envy and Equality”

Chapter 9, Section 82 Summary: “The Grounds for the Priority of Liberty”

Chapter 9, Section 83 Summary: “Happiness and Dominant Ends”

Chapter 9, Section 84 Summary: “Hedonism as a Method of Choice”

Chapter 9, Section 85 Summary: “The Unity of the Self”

Chapter 9, Section 86 Summary: “The Good of the Sense of Justice”

Chapter 9, Section 87 Summary: “Remarks on Justification”

Chapter 9 Analysis

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Values & Ideas

Good & Evil

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Philosophy, Logic, & Ethics

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John Rawls

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Chapter 3 A Theory of Justice Chapter 3, Sections 20-30 Summary & Analysis

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Chapter 5 A Theory of Justice Chapter 5, Sections 41-50 Summary & Analysis

Chapter 6 A Theory of Justice Chapter 6, Sections 51-59 Summary & Analysis

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Chapter 7 A Theory of Justice Chapter 7, Sections 60-68 Summary & Analysis

Chapter 8 A Theory of Justice Chapter 8, Sections 69-77 Summary & Analysis

A Theory of Justice Chapter 9, Sections 78-87 Summary & Analysis

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