Reflective equilibrium

Reflective equilibrium is a method of moral and political reasoning that adjusts general principles and particular judgments until they support one another coherently.

Considered judgment: A judgment made under conditions intended to reduce bias, confusion, and undue pressure. These judgments supply the particular cases against which candidate principles are tested.
John Rawls: An American political philosopher whose work shaped contemporary theories of justice and liberalism. Rawls developed reflective equilibrium as a method for justifying principles of justice.
Justice as fairness: John Rawls’s theory that principles of justice are those parties would choose under fair conditions. Reflective equilibrium helps assess the principles that constitute this theory.
Foundationalism: The theory that justified beliefs ultimately rest on basic beliefs that do not depend on other beliefs. It offers a foundation-based alternative to justification through mutual support.
Moral principle: A general norm used to assess actions, policies, or states of affairs. Principles are revised when they conflict with considered judgments in the process.
A Theory of Justice: John Rawls’s 1971 book presenting justice as fairness and a method of moral justification. The book established reflective equilibrium within a major argument about justice.
Original position: A hypothetical choice situation in which parties select principles of justice behind a veil of ignorance. Judgments about this device and its implications can be tested against principles of justice.
Moral realism: The view that moral claims can be objectively true independently of individual attitudes. Realists challenge whether coherence alone can establish that moral beliefs track truth.
Coherence theory of justification: An account of justification in which beliefs gain support through their coherence with other beliefs. Reflective equilibrium treats mutual fit, rather than a single foundation, as justificatory.
Nelson Goodman: An American philosopher known for work on induction, representation, and the structure of knowledge. Goodman’s account of justification among rules and inferences helped shape Rawls’s method.

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