Key Arguments

• Rawls explicitly states that 'The second principle of justice is lexically prior to the principle of efficiency and to that of maximizing the sum of advantages', which means considerations of efficiency or aggregate welfare cannot override the requirements of the second principle.
• He further adds that 'fair opportunity is prior to the difference principle', thereby introducing an internal lexical order within the second principle itself: institutional requirements ensuring fair equality of opportunity must be satisfied before applying the difference principle to justify inequalities in income and wealth.

Source Quotes

Second Priority Rule (The Priority of Justice over Efficiency and Welfare) The second principle of justice is lexically prior to the principle of efficiency and to that of maximizing the sum of advantages; and fair opportunity is prior to the difference principle. There are two cases: a. an inequality of opportunity must enhance the opportunities of those with the lesser opportunity;

Key Concepts

• The second principle of justice is lexically prior to the principle of efficiency and to that of maximizing the sum of advantages; and fair opportunity is prior to the difference principle.
• Second Priority Rule (The Priority of Justice over Efficiency and Welfare)

Context

Opening sentence of the 'Second Priority Rule (The Priority of Justice over Efficiency and Welfare)' summary, where Rawls restates in canonical, schematic form how the second principle of justice is ordered above efficiency and aggregate welfare, and how fair equality of opportunity is ordered above the difference principle.