ABSTRACT
This chapter applies the RoCD-test to Rawls’s theory of justice. By applying the test, the review chapter aim to establish two claims: (a) It is argued that the most important political philosophies hold that we are currently living in a ‘modus vivendi,’ that is, a state of affairs that is morally wanting and presents a mere accommodation between disputing parties (Modus Vivendi Hypothesis). (b) Moreover, the review chapter aims to show that Rawls’s theory of justice builds on the implicit conjecture that, in order to move to a mutually justified state of affairs, we need to hedge (rather than unleash) our evaluative and socio-economic disagreements (Dangerous Diversity Hypothesis). The chapter is divided into three parts: the first part establishes that Rawls viewed welfare capitalism as mere modus vivendi. The second part spells out Rawls’s (early) answer to the problem of modus vivendi. The final part applies the RoCD Test to Rawls’s proposal.
