The last stage of the sequence—application of rules by judges, administrators, and citizens with full knowledge of particular facts—is not the standpoint from which to decide the grounds and limits of political obligation; questions of duty, civil disobedience, and conscientious refusal belong to partial‑compliance theory and must be settled from the original position after ideal principles have been chosen.

By John Rawls, from A Theory of Justice

Key Arguments

  • Rawls defines the final stage: 'The last stage is that of the application of rules to particular cases by judges and administrators, and the following of rules by citizens generally. At this stage everyone has complete access to all the facts. No limits on knowledge remain since the full system of rules has now been adopted and applies to persons in virtue of their characteristics and circumstances.'
  • He insists: 'However, it is not from this standpoint that we are to decide the grounds and limits of political duty and obligation.' So full‑information application is not the vantage point for the principles of obligation.
  • He assigns these questions elsewhere: 'This third type of problem belongs to partial compliance theory, and its principles are discussed from the point of view of the original position after those of ideal theory have been chosen (§39) .'
  • He then notes that 'Once these are on hand, we can view our particular situation from the perspective of the last stage, as for example in the cases of civil disobedience and conscientious refusal (§ §57-59).' Thus the last stage is for applying already‑settled principles of partial‑compliance, not for choosing them.

Source Quotes

Thus the priority of the first principle of justice to the second is reflected in the priority of the constitutional convention to the legislative stage. The last stage is that of the application of rules to particular cases by judges and administrators, and the following of rules by citizens generally. At this stage everyone has complete access to all the facts.
The last stage is that of the application of rules to particular cases by judges and administrators, and the following of rules by citizens generally. At this stage everyone has complete access to all the facts. No limits on knowledge remain since the full system of rules has now been adopted and applies to persons in virtue of their characteristics and circumstances.
No limits on knowledge remain since the full system of rules has now been adopted and applies to persons in virtue of their characteristics and circumstances. However, it is not from this standpoint that we are to decide the grounds and limits of political duty and obligation. This third type of problem belongs to partial compliance theory, and its principles are discussed from the point of view of the original position after those of ideal theory have been chosen (§39) .
However, it is not from this standpoint that we are to decide the grounds and limits of political duty and obligation. This third type of problem belongs to partial compliance theory, and its principles are discussed from the point of view of the original position after those of ideal theory have been chosen (§39) . Once these are on hand, we can view our particular situation from the perspective of the last stage, as for example in the cases of civil disobedience and conscientious refusal (§ §57-59).
This third type of problem belongs to partial compliance theory, and its principles are discussed from the point of view of the original position after those of ideal theory have been chosen (§39) . Once these are on hand, we can view our particular situation from the perspective of the last stage, as for example in the cases of civil disobedience and conscientious refusal (§ §57-59). The availability of knowledge in the four-stage sequence is roughly as follows.

Key Concepts

  • The last stage is that of the application of rules to particular cases by judges and administrators, and the following of rules by citizens generally.
  • At this stage everyone has complete access to all the facts.
  • it is not from this standpoint that we are to decide the grounds and limits of political duty and obligation.
  • This third type of problem belongs to partial compliance theory, and its principles are discussed from the point of view of the original position after those of ideal theory have been chosen (§39) .
  • as for example in the cases of civil disobedience and conscientious refusal (§ §57-59).

Context

Later in §31, where Rawls clarifies the function of the fourth stage and connects it to his later discussions of partial‑compliance theory and civil disobedience.