The John Rawls Theory of Justice Applied to Bennet Omalu Story: Thoughts on a Current Case and its Disconnection to Rawls’ Philosophic Ideal

• Main Author: Taina Hutten de Camargo
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Pós-graduação em Direito (CONPEDI) 2016-11-01
• Series: Revista de Teorias da Justiça, da Decisão e da Argumentação Jurídica
• Subjects: Neuropatologia; Teoria da justiça; Futebol; Concussões
• Online Access: http://www.indexlaw.org/index.php/revistateoriasjustica/article/view/1100

In 2015, was launched the movie Concussion which tells the true story of Bennet Omalu - a medical examiner who worked in the city of Pittsburgh. When performing the autopsy of an idol of football, Omalu identified a never before diagnosed disease that can be caused by football practice and started a battle against the most powerful football league in the world, the National Football League. The story is reviewed in this study based on the John Rawls’ Theory of Justice, with reflections on why, even in a developed society, there are cases of absolute disconnection of his philosophical ideal.