Abstract: Social justice is related closely to social minimum, and it is unimaginable for social justice without social minimum. In his A Theory of Justice, John Rawls proposes a theory of social justice that has a conception of social minimum, which is different from the conception of utilitarian social minimum. Firstly, John Rawls’ conception of social minimum is based on the principles of justice, while the social minimum of utilitarianism is based on human needs; Secondly, John Rawls’ social minimum is a kind of institution, and the social minimum of utilitarianism is a kind of principle; Finally, a social minimum is indeed related to human needs, but human needs may be defined by the citizenship of persons.

Key words: John Rawls, justice, social minimum