Abstract:
The deepening of democracy, the universalization of suffrage and the extension of the right to participation, despite being extremely valuable historical achievements, did not eliminate injustices such as racism, misogyny and other degrading forms of treatment that characterize not only the world´s persistent oligarchies and dictatorships, but also most of today’s democracies. The difficulty of democratic regimes in producing fairer societies, as well as their coexistence with severe injustice, has led theorists and public authorities around the world to ask the question: Are political democracy and social justice incompatible ideals? From the standpoint of Rawlsian theory, this article seeks to argue that social justice and political democracy are two distinct ideals that mutually influence one another.
Keywords:
democracy; social justice; inequalities; John Rawls