Número 45 - 2013
Articles

Is rawless theory of justice exclusively forward-looking? On the Importance of Rectifying Past Political Violence

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  • Moisés Vaca
Moisés Vaca
CONICET- IdIHCS, UNLP
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21555/top.v45i1.616

Published 2013-12-17

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Vaca, M. (2013). Is rawless theory of justice exclusively forward-looking? On the Importance of Rectifying Past Political Violence. Tópicos, Revista De Filosofía, 45(1), 299–330. https://doi.org/10.21555/top.v45i1.616
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Abstract

In this paper I address an objection to the claim that Rawls’s theory is to show concern for historical injustice. This objection states that such a theory is justified in avoiding concern for historical injustice because of its putative forward-looking character. The objection takes two forms: first, it is argued that there are reasons internal to Rawls’s own theory, such as the choice problem modelled by the original position as well as the fact that justice-as-fairness is thought of to be a non-comprehensive conception of justice, which warrant such a putative forward-looking character. Second, it also claimed that there are reasons external to Rawls’s theory, having to do with the putative existence of the so-called non-identity problem, which warrant an exclusive forward-looking character not only to Rawls’s principles of justice but to any other conception of distributive justice. I will try to show that the stated objection, both in its internal and external presentations, fails.

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