جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "reflective equilibrium" در نشریات گروه "فلسفه و کلام"

The question of the origin of moral values has always been among the most important and challenging questions for moral philosophers dividing moral schools into realist and non-realist. Positive secularism is a branch of non-realist school of thought. It includes all schools that regard common parlance as the origin of moral values. John Rawl's theory of social justice is an important theory in moral philosophy. It is not clear whether or not it is secular in nature. Some consider it as realist negating that it is secular whereas others term it as non-realist and secular. Using a descriptive – analytic methodology, this study alludes to some of the secular implications of Rawl's theory. It critically assesses this theory if it happens to be a secular one.

The social contract tradition has a particular significance in the history ofpolitical philosophy. The classic theoreticians of social contract, such asLock, Rousseau, and Kant, have considered the political authority asinevitable in order to prevail over life difficulties in disordered (social)situation.John Rawls takes a new approach to social contract in his theory ofjustice. He assumes that contracting parties would choose the principles ofjustice which intend to determine the moral principles. Such principles, inturn, constitute the social institutions of society. In Rawls’ view,contracting parties are assumed to be in a hypothetical situation calledoriginal position. These persons as free, equal, reasonable and rationalcitizens, are in veil of ignorance; that is, they are not aware of anycharacters as gender, social status, religious orientation, and even theirconception of the good. In this situation, Rawls suggests a technique,called “reflective equilibrium”, which orchestrates our principles ofjustice and considered judgments. In original position, contracting partieschoose the two principles of justice, i.e. the principles of liberty andequality. The concept of original position is an interpretation of Kant’sview on the principle of freewill and categorical imperative. Describingthis situation enables one to reveal his essential nature as a free andautonomous human being.Rawls, thus, dose not use social contract to legitimate political authority;but, using original position, he presents a concept of human nature whichthe liberals, always, talk about it: a liberated human who is freed of anysocial, political and traditional stress.