Animals in the Original Position

TL;DRAbstract

In A Theory of Justice, John Rawls l defends two principles of justice by means of an appeal to a hypothetical However, these principles are strictly principles of justice by and for human beings, or at least by and for persons. Several philosophers have recently argued that tllis argument is flawed-is speciesist-in tllat there is no adequate justification for excluding animals from consideration as beings to whom fue principles of justice ought to apply.2 If tllose in tlle original position had to consider tlle possibility tllat tlley might be reborn as a calf ratller than a human, they might well choose different principles. If tlley did not consider that possibility, the original position, and the veil of ignorance which helps define it, would fail to protect against prejudice or guarantee fairness and impartiality. One must be careful to distinguish at fue outset different bases for objecting to the exclusion of nonhuman animals from Rawls's tlleory. One might argue tllat Rawls sim

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