a critical evaluation on the concept of justice in planning process

Within this framework, Rawls alters the utilitarian meaning of the concept of
public interest/ benefit as “greater happiness of the greater number to reflect the wishes
and advantages of majority”. In Rawlsian terms, public interest/benefit lies in
increasing the advantages of the most disadvantageous ones (McConnell;1995;38).
Right:
According to Rawls, every individual has indispensable rights of his/her own.
However, in case these rights cause the socially most disadvantageous and less free
ones with least rights to become more advantageous, then rights can be abandoned.
As manifest, the most important emphasis accompanying the components of
justice in Rawls’s framework, namely, liberty, equality, right and interest, is on “just
abandonment of advantages of the least advantaged ones”. In order not to live such
great inequalities as of today, the individuals accept all these principles with the
recognition that they can be able to reach a much better society via their renunciations
(abandonments). In this approach that comprises abstract series of principles,
universality is emphasized as independent from specific time and space.
The institutions depicted as what balances and implements the social order,
which is created by such assents and principles, is promoted through adoption of a
comprehensive state. These institutions consist of the constitutional and legal system as
comprising all the mechanisms related with its operation.
This framework presented by Rawls renders re-consideration of distribution and
re-distribution mechanisms (that is, of all institutions and mechanisms of regulation)
targeted at reduction of inequalities all as necessary. However, the fundamental problem
lies in definition of need, which is reached by consensus in implementation of these
principles presented in a lexical order, to change also by society, culture, time and
space. Nevertheless, it is possible to attain, in minimum standards, universally
acceptable criteria in such issues as health, shelter, security and education.
With the emphases he has put on the priority given to principles and justice,
Rawls appears to have reached his target concerning the implementable principles of
liberal society by staying within the liberal traditions.
IN RESULT, in “justice as fairness” approach where Rawls has presented a new
perspective to the classical liberal principles of justice, he defends:
1. that equality shall be considered in a need-based manner as to provide for advantages
to the least advantaged ones,
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