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John Rawls' concept of "overlapping consensus" is a crucial element of his theory of "justice as fairness". Discuss. (15 Marks). [ Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) - Answer Writing Practice Paper 1]
John Rawls, while reflecting on the need of legitimacy and consequent stability as part of his political conception of justice in a liberal society, has propounded the idea of overlapping consensus in his ‘Political Liberalism'' (1993).
Overlapping Consensus for Social Stability and Legitimacy
- In an overlapping consensus, all citizens endorse a core set of laws for different reasons. Each citizen supports a political conception of justice for reasons internal to her own comprehensive doctrine, which can include systems of religion, political ideology, or morality.
- A political conception, as per Rawls, is like a common "module" and each reasonable citizen affirms this common "module" from within her own perspective. For example, liberal right to religious freedom can be supported by a Catholic doctrine. A reasonable Islamic doctrine, Hindu and a reasonable atheistic doctrine might also affirm this same right to religious freedom--not, of course, for the same reasons as Catholic doctrine, but each for its own reasons.
- All citizens view the value of a political conception of justice as a great value and prioritize it in their own reasoning. The value of justice normally outweighs their other values should these conflict on some particular issue. (All citizens affirm a political conception wholeheartedly and so will continue to do so even if their group gains or loses political power.)
- Rawls says that an overlapping consensus is stable for the right reasons. Abiding by liberal basic laws is not a citizen''s second-best option but is each citizen''s first-best option.
- Rawls does not assert that an overlapping consensus is achievable in every liberal society. Nor does he say that, once established, an overlapping consensus must forever endure. Citizens in some societies may have too little in common to converge on a liberal political conception of justice. In other societies, unreasonable doctrines may spread until they overwhelm liberal institutions.
- Rawls does hold that history shows both deepening trust and convergence in beliefs among citizens in many liberal societies. This gives hope that an overlapping consensus is at least possible. Where an overlapping consensus is possible, Rawls believes, it is the best support for social stability that a free society can achieve.
In a pluralistic and liberal society, the different comprehensive doctrines that, in philosophical or religious terms, can even be considered incommensurable, may find in moral sentiments, in particular in the sentiment of justice, the basis for the institution of a well-ordered and just society without the need to address some kind of postulate in a form of a public reason. The consensus-based approach is a key feature of Rawls''s "political liberalism," which seeks to provide a framework for justice in a society marked by diverse comprehensive doctrines.
POSTED ON 18-07-2025 BY ADMIN
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