Book contents
- Rawls’s A Theory of Justice at 50
- Cambridge Philosophical Anniversaries
- Rawls’s A Theory of Justice at 50
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations of and Bibliographic Information for Rawls’s Works
- Introduction
- Part I Rawls and History
- Part II Developments between A Theory of Justice and Political Liberalism
- Part III Rawls, Ideal Theory, and the Persistence of Injustice
- 10 The Circumstances of Justice
- 11 Why Rawls’s Ideal Theory Leaves the Well-Ordered Society Vulnerable to Structural Oppression
- 12 Race, Reparations, and Justice as Fairness
- 13 On the Role of the Original Position in Rawls’s Theory
- Part IV Pluralism, Democracy, and the Future of Justice as Fairness
- References
- Index
12 - Race, Reparations, and Justice as Fairness
from Part III - Rawls, Ideal Theory, and the Persistence of Injustice
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 July 2023
- Rawls’s A Theory of Justice at 50
- Cambridge Philosophical Anniversaries
- Rawls’s A Theory of Justice at 50
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations of and Bibliographic Information for Rawls’s Works
- Introduction
- Part I Rawls and History
- Part II Developments between A Theory of Justice and Political Liberalism
- Part III Rawls, Ideal Theory, and the Persistence of Injustice
- 10 The Circumstances of Justice
- 11 Why Rawls’s Ideal Theory Leaves the Well-Ordered Society Vulnerable to Structural Oppression
- 12 Race, Reparations, and Justice as Fairness
- 13 On the Role of the Original Position in Rawls’s Theory
- Part IV Pluralism, Democracy, and the Future of Justice as Fairness
- References
- Index
Summary
John Rawls has been sharply criticized, most notably by Charles Mills, for not sufficiently addressing questions of racial justice. Specifically, Mills has argued that it is a deep flaw in Rawls’s framework (and in much liberal theory that has followed Rawls’s example) that it cannot account for the legitimacy of reparations claims for past racial injustices. In response to this influential charge, the present chapter argues that reparations for racial injustice can be understood and defended within the framework of justice as fairness. It discusses the political morality of reparations and its relation to racial justice. It also explores the often-misunderstood relationship between reparative justice and distributive justice.
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- Rawls’s A Theory of Justice at 50 , pp. 199 - 219Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023