is described as rationality and is said to be a descriptive theory. It explains the two general facts which everyone recognizes. That something is good means it has the property of being rational according to what we want in a given instance. Yet, this also means that the criteria of evaluation differ from one kind of thing to another because we want things for different purposes (Rawls, A Theory of Justice 405-406). For the individual, the good is defined by what that person sees to be the most rational plan of life for him or her, given reasonably favorable circumstances (Rawls, A Theory of Justice 395).
Rawls says that human beings differ about which principles should define the basic terms of human association, but he still says that in spite of this, human beings each have a conception of justice even if what is just or unjust is in dispute. Rawls explains:
That is, they understand the need for, and they are prepared to affirm, a characteristic set of principles for assigning basic rights and duties and for determining what
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