What did John Rawls argue about economic inequalities and the least advantaged?

In his seminal work A Theory of Justice, John Rawls argues that social and economic inequalities are permissible only if they satisfy two specific conditions, one of which is known as the "difference principle."123

This principle dictates that any unequal distribution of social or economic goods, such as wealth, must be arranged to provide the greatest benefit to the least-advantaged members of society. Rawls posits that such inequalities are justified only if the least advantaged would be better off under that specific distribution than they would be under any other arrangement, including a perfectly equal distribution. He suggests that a degree of inequality might be beneficial if it encourages greater overall productivity, thereby improving the absolute position of those at the bottom of the social hierarchy.23

Rawls’s framework stands in contrast to the views of Robert Nozick, who, in Anarchy, State, and Utopia, challenged this egalitarian approach by arguing that such redistribution violates individual property rights and the principle of self-ownership.2