John Rawls

Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who…

— John Rawls

First of all, principles should be general. That is, it must be possible to formulate them without use of what would be…

— John Rawls

Intuitionism is not constructive, perfectionism is unacceptable.

— John Rawls

A political conception just applies to the basic structure of a society, its institutions, constitutional essentials, matters of basic justice and property,…

— John Rawls

If you compare the United States with Europe, my view is that what happened in Europe is that the church became deeply…

— John Rawls

Political philosophy is realistically utopian when it extends what are ordinarily thought to be the limits of practicable political possibility and, in…

— John Rawls

The intolerant can be viewed as free-riders, as persons who seek the advantages of just institutions while not doing their share to…

— John Rawls

Of course, we know that not everyone agrees with assisted suicide, but people might agree that one has the right to it,…

— John Rawls

When the basic structure of society is publicly known to satisfy its principles for an extended period of time, those subject to…

— John Rawls

“Luther and Calvin were as dogmatic and intolerant as the Church had been. For those who had to decide whether to become…

— John Rawls

We may suppose that everyone has in himself the whole form of a moral conception.

— John Rawls

Citizens can have their own grounding in their comprehensive doctrines, whatever they happen to be.

— John Rawls

There is a divergence between private and social accounting that the market fails to register. One essential task of law and government…

— John Rawls

Many of our most serious conflicts are conflicts within ourselves. Those who suppose their judgements are always consistent are unreflective or dogmatic.

— John Rawls

The idea of public reason isn't about the right answers to all these questions, but about the kinds of reasons that they…

— John Rawls

Justice is happiness according to virtue.

— John Rawls

It is of first importance that the military be subordinate to civilian government

— John Rawls

Certainly it is wrong to be cruel to animals and the destruction of a whole species can be a great evil. The…

— John Rawls

Properly understood, then, the desire to act justly derives in part from the desire to express most fully what we are or…

— John Rawls

People can make arguments from the Bible if they want to. But I want them to see that they should also give…

— John Rawls

A comprehensive doctrine, either religious or secular, aspires to cover all of life. I mean, if it's a religious doctrine, it talks…

— John Rawls

How did Madison get separation through Virginia and later Congress? The Baptists, the Presbyterians, and the smaller sects hated Jefferson; to them…

— John Rawls

Ideally citizens are to think of themselves as if they were legislators and ask themselves what statutes, supported by what reasons satisfying…

— John Rawls

The natural distribution is neither just nor unjust; nor is it unjust that persons are born into society at some particular position.…

— John Rawls

The sense of justice is continuous with the love of mankind.

— John Rawls