The Theory of Justice was developed by John Rawls in 1971 and is regarded as the most influential work devoted to the problem of social justice. Its main purpose is to explain why injustices are unjust and exclude any ambiguity in the interpretation of social justice.
To eliminate any personal bias in individuals’ understanding of fairness, Rawls proposed a thought experiment, also known as the original position. As part of this experiment, one is asked to imagine an ideal, fair social structure. Noteworthily, it must be made through the veil of ignorance. This concept implies that one imagines himself/herself as a member of that ideal society yet does not know to which social group he/she belongs and whether his/her social position is advantaged or disadvantaged. Thus, instead of discussing the actual state of society in which one person may be more privileged than another and may judge the concepts of fairness and justice from this position of privilege, participants of the thought experiment discuss a hypothetical, desired social state, whereas their discussion is not impacted and distorted by personal bias and desire to protect personal interests.
Overall, Rawls claims that social justice refers to the situation when each person enjoys the same amount of liberty and access to opportunities. Nevertheless, Rawls also stated that some degree of inequality can be beneficial in certain situations. For instance, a chance to earn more money can motivate people to work harder and better. Nevertheless, the difference principle indicates that whenever inequality takes place, it should benefit those in the least advantageous positions. This principle implies that those people who do not have special capabilities and powers should be provided with more opportunities in order to equate their social position. Nevertheless, it is valid to note that Rawls’ theory emphasizes the role of the principles of equal liberty and fair opportunity in the maintenance of social justice, whereas the difference principle rather plays a secondary role.