 The first part of the original position contains two fundamental comparisons between Rawls’s principles and utilitarian principles. In the first comparison, the parties compare Rawls’s principles to the principle of average utility: the principle that the basic structure should be arranged so as to produce the highest level of utility averaged among all citizens. Rawls argues that the parties would favor his principles in this comparison, because the first principle of justice as fairness secures equal liberties for all citizens.