Reinvigorating John Rawls on Social Justice

John Rawls featured prominently in the philosophical debate on social justice, bringing issues of individual freedom, civil rights and equal opportunity to the forefront. When considering the conceptualisation of social justice in South Africa, one is struck with the wealth of very ‘Rawlsian’ liberal democratic ideals suffused into the country’s constitution, alongside its dream of constitutional transformation. This is juxtaposed to the ideology and policies of the African National Congress, with its proclivities that are an antithesis to a veritable liberal constitutional democracy. Herein is found a dialectic in which the topic of justice is situated and analysed using the philosophy of Rawls as a benchmark. One is then faced with the confusion surrounding social justice in South Africa, what it means and how it is to be achieved. Concomitantly, the role and place of the individual is brought to the fore, begging the question of what citizens owe each other.