Rawls, temporal discontinuity and disasters

This study aims to apply key concepts from Rawls’s theory of justice as fairness to issues of justice in the context of disasters and catastrophes. Disasters can be understood as a form of temporary discontinuity, whereas catastrophes involve a prolonged disruption of people’s normal lives. Whether an event becomes a disaster, a catastrophe, or neither, depends on the degree of preparedness in place—preparedness that can prevent what Kant, in The Metaphysics of Morals, refers to as cases of necessity. This study argues, based on aspects of Rawls’s justice as fairness, that it is a requirement of justice for the state to adopt measures to mitigate temporal discontinuities and their harmful effects on the rational life plans of individuals understood as free and equal citizens.