The relationship between Rawls’s theory of justice and Quine’s philosophy constitute
an almost entirely new topic of discussion. The analysis undertaken in this article
aims to show that some fundamental epistemological traits of Rawls’s theory of justice may
be causally explained by referring to Quine’s influence on him. Rawls’s assumptions, methods
of theory-building and evaluation criteria are addressed and a close nexus between the
methods of ethics and natural science is made explicit. In t…
Read moreThe relationship between Rawls’s theory of justice and Quine’s philosophy constitute
an almost entirely new topic of discussion. The analysis undertaken in this article
aims to show that some fundamental epistemological traits of Rawls’s theory of justice may
be causally explained by referring to Quine’s influence on him. Rawls’s assumptions, methods
of theory-building and evaluation criteria are addressed and a close nexus between the
methods of ethics and natural science is made explicit. In the light of the historical and epistemological
analysis presented in this article it may be argued that Rawls’s theory of justice
as fairness satisfies scientific requirements of evidence and objectivity within the sphere of
ethics to the extent it is constructed and justified in accordance to Quine’s epistemology.
