A well-ordered society ( well-ordered ) is a term used by the American philosopher John Brolley Rawls, as one of the types of societies considered by him.
A well-ordered society is a society that is intended not only for the benefit of its members, but also for the effective regulation of the public concept of justice .
Content
Signs of a well-ordered society
- everyone accepts and knows that others accept the same principles of justice;
- basic social institutions satisfy these principles.
The characteristics of a well-ordered society
In a well-ordered society, people may make exaggerated claims on each other, but they nevertheless recognize a common point of view that allows them to make decisions regarding these claims. While the tendency of people to pursue their own interests leads them to be vigilant about each other, the public sense of justice makes it possible for them to unite in the name of security . Between individuals with different goals, the general concept of justice establishes the bonds of the civil community; common pursuit of justice limits the pursuit of other goals. It is possible to consider the social concept of justice as a fundamental feature of a well-ordered human society.
Why not all societies are well-ordered
Not all existing societies are quite orderly, since it is very debatable what is fair and unjust. People disagree on which principles should determine the basic terms of the agreement in society. But despite these differences, we can still say that each of them has the concept of justice. That is, they are aware of the need for a certain set of principles regarding fundamental rights and obligations and are ready to accept them. These principles also determine the correct distribution of benefits and social cooperation .
Literature
- John Rawls. The theory of justice / Trans. from English V. Tselishchev, V. Karpovich, A. Shevchenko. - Novosibirsk: Ed. NSU, 1995. - p. 532.