Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Neo-Rawlsian Co-ordinates: Notes on A Theory of Justice for the Information Age.

Duff, Alistair

Authors

Alistair Duff



Abstract

The ideas of philosopher John Rawls should be appropriated for the information age. A literature review
identifies previous contributions in fields such as communication and library and information science. The
article postulates the following neo-Rawlsian propositions as co-ordinates for the development of a normative
theory of the information society: that political philosophy should be incorporated into information society
studies; that social and technological circumstances define the limits of progressive politics; that the right is
prior to the good in social morality; that the nation state should remain in sharp focus, despite globalization;
that liberty, the first principle of social justice, requires updating to deal with the growth of surveillance and
other challenges; that social wellbeing is a function of equal opportunities plus limited inequalities of outcome,
in information as well as material resources; and that political stability depends upon an overlapping
consensus accommodating both religion and secularism. Although incomplete, such co-ordinates can help to
guide policy-makers in the twenty-first century.

Citation

Duff, A. (2006). Neo-Rawlsian Co-ordinates: Notes on A Theory of Justice for the Information Age. International journal of information ethics, 6, 17-22

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 9, 1999
Publication Date 2006-12
Deposit Date May 16, 2016
Print ISSN 1614-1687
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 6
Pages 17-22
Keywords John Rawls; information age; communication; Information science studies;
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/9957




Downloadable Citations