Justice as fairness

Abstract

This paper is a critical exposition of the concept of “the reasonable” in justice as fairness. It focuses on four contexts in which Rawls uses the term: first, in specifying the conditions of choice in the original position; second, in characterizing the principles of justice as reasonable rather than true; third, in identifying the comprehensive doctrines that may be part of an overlapping consensus; and finally, in describing citizens in a well-ordered society. It concludes with a discussion of public reason and liberal tolerance.