Distributibive justice concerns how the goods (and responsibilities) of society ought to be distributed among its members.

(a) natural goods (not socially distributable) distinct from

(b) social goods ("rights and liberties, powers and opportunities, income and wealth")

Social goods are the result of societal cooperation

Social goods are rightly distributed according to the demands of justice (plus some other constraints, in particular, coordination, efficiency, and stability).

2. Social contract (Justice as fairness):

The principles of social justice are those that persons who are

• free
• rational
• self-interested
• equal

would accept as governing their association

(Next, a famous "thought experiment":)

3. The original position (cf., "state of nature" theories):

• Veil of ignorance: No one knows place in society, natural abilities, psychological propensities, or conception of the good (imagine you are going die and be reborn as a human being, you don't know where or who your parents will be)
• Fairness: all are equal, no one is excluded (everyone would willingly cooperate; everyone must benefit from the arrangement)
• Information about the practicality of the principles and consonant practices chosen is relevant (coordination, efficiency, and stability of consonant social practices taken into account)
• The principles and consonant institutions and practices are corrigible (fined tuned by being brought into reflective equilibrium: we try principles and practices and see how they work, test the results against our original intentions, adjust one or both, try again, and again, and again . . .)

4. The Principles of Justice

We would choose two overarching principles:

A. The liberty principle: Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others. (Maximal equal liberty. Basic liberties are those of citizenship: political activity, speech, thought, property, rule of law)

B. (The equality principle, conveniently divisible into:)

(i) The DIFFERENCE principle (inequalities reasonably expected to be to everyone's advantage, specifically: to the advantage of the least advantaged)

(ii) The principle of EQUAL OPPORTUNITY (inequalities attach to positions and offices open to all)

The difference principle has aroused the greatest opposition.