a critical evaluation on the concept of justice in planning process

equal citizenship are taken as settled; the rights secured by justice are not subject to
political bargaining or to the calculus of social interests. The only thing that permits us
to acquiesce in an erroneous theory is the lack of a better one; analogously, an injustice
is tolerable only when it is necessary to avoid an even greater injustice. Being first
virtues of human activities, truth and justice are uncompromising” (Rawls; 1977; 3-4).
Within this framework, Rawls tries to reach an agreement where the most
appropriate advantages are distributed as principles of a series of social regulation. The
principles to be attained will constitute the principles of justice on the one hand, and be
guiding in distribution of rights and duties. Furthermore, these principles will as well
constitute the appropriate distribution principles concerning the benefits and burdens of
social cooperation.
In conceptualization of justice as fairness, the individuals within a “veil of
ignorance” in a hypothetical society make their choices on principles of justice
(dwelling on equity, liberty, fairness, social/individual good). This hypothetical
framework constitutes an initial point in making due preferences and eliminating
existing inequalities. 18 The fundamental questions within this hypothetical framework
focus on which kind of inequalities can be accepted under which circumstances.
2.3.1. Distributional Justice Principles and Their Application in Rawls’
Theory
While fostering a theory of justice, Rawls elaborates the ways of distribution,
principles of distribution, tools of distribution and institution and method of distribution
where he considers “distributional justice” principles as the values and methods upon
which individuals in their ‘original positions’ agree. In this context, Rawls mentions
two fundamental principles of justice:
“First Principle
Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic
liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all
Second Principle
Social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both;
18 With regard to the individuals within this original position, Rawls also denotes that his
conceptualization does not object to the social contract approach in classical liberal line.
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