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What did John Rawls consider a well-ordered society?

Rawls considered a well-ordered society to be one in which each individual had an equal opportunity to live a good life, and to have basic liberties, irrespective of the conditions of their birth. All social institutions must be structured in such a way as to ensure that everyone has equal access to them, though Rawls did believe that individuals should be able to excel (and profit materially from their success). In short, Rawls believed that a society founded on justice would be set up to be fair. Laws would be transparent, equitable, and aimed toward promoting justice. Government structures would be equally accessible to all people. While Rawls eschewed engaging in the specifics of how this society would actually be implemented or governed, the gist of his theory of society (as laid out in his landmark work A Theory of Justice) was that society should be ordered in a way that promoted equality and best cared for the least fortunate segments of the society.

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