ABSTRACT. Rawls embraces two views of justice, a general conception that is supposed to be valid at all times, and a special conception that is valid under modern social conditions. According to Dworkin, law is not to be understood as trying to communicate anything at all; a subject considering his legal duties is not listening to the law. Rawls attacks the idea that notions of merit or deservingness should be included among the values that the principles of justice should assert as fundamental.