Key Arguments

• Rawls identifies 'the main problem of distributive justice' not as a marginal adjustment of shares but as 'the choice of a social system', emphasizing that principles apply to the 'basic structure' as a whole.
• Justice as fairness uses 'the notion of pure procedural justice to handle the contingencies of particular situations'; the idea is to design the system so that 'the resulting distribution is just however things turn out.'
• To make this work, 'it is necessary to set the social and economic process within the surroundings of suitable political and legal institutions'; without these 'background institutions the outcome of the distributive process will not be just. Background fairness is lacking.'
• Rawls proposes to 'give a brief description of these supporting institutions as they might exist in a properly organized democratic state that allows private ownership of capital and natural resources,' indicating that his aim is to show how familiar institutions can instantiate the two principles of justice.

Source Quotes

The main problem of distributive justice is the choice of a social system. The principles of justice apply to the basic structure and regulate how its major institutions are combined into one scheme.

The main problem of distributive justice is the choice of a social system. The principles of justice apply to the basic structure and regulate how its major institutions are combined into one scheme. Now, as we have seen, the idea of justice as fairness is to use the notion of pure procedural justice to handle the contingencies of par-ticular situations.

The principles of justice apply to the basic structure and regulate how its major institutions are combined into one scheme. Now, as we have seen, the idea of justice as fairness is to use the notion of pure procedural justice to handle the contingencies of par-ticular situations. The social system is to be designed so that the resulting distribution is just however things turn out.

Now, as we have seen, the idea of justice as fairness is to use the notion of pure procedural justice to handle the contingencies of par-ticular situations. The social system is to be designed so that the resulting distribution is just however things turn out. To achieve this end it is necessary to set the social and economic process within the surroundings of suitable political and legal institutions.

To achieve this end it is necessary to set the social and economic process within the surroundings of suitable political and legal institutions. Without an appropriate scheme of these background institutions the outcome of the distributive process will not be just. Background fairness is lacking. I shall give a brief description of these supporting institutions as they might exist in a properly organized democratic state that allows private ownership of capital and natural resources.

Key Concepts

• The main problem of distributive justice is the choice of a social system.
• The principles of justice apply to the basic structure and regulate how its major institutions are combined into one scheme.
• the idea of justice as fairness is to use the notion of pure procedural justice to handle the contingencies of par-ticular situations.
• The social system is to be designed so that the resulting distribution is just however things turn out.
• Without an appropriate scheme of these background institutions the outcome of the distributive process will not be just. Background fairness is lacking.

Context

Opening of §43 ('Background Institutions for Distributive Justice'), where Rawls shifts from abstract principles to the institutional design of a social system capable of realizing justice as fairness.