A Theory of Justice

A Theory of Justice
Author: John Rawls
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 564
Release: 2009-07
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780674042582

Previous edition, 1st, published in 1971.

A Theory of Justice

A Theory of Justice
Author: John Rawls
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 495
Release: 2020-07-27
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0674257677

Since it appeared in 1971, John Rawls's A Theory of Justice has become a classic. The author has now revised the original edition to clear up a number of difficulties he and others have found in the original book. Rawls aims to express an essential part of the common core of the democratic tradition--justice as fairness--and to provide an alternative to utilitarianism, which had dominated the Anglo-Saxon tradition of political thought since the nineteenth century. Rawls substitutes the ideal of the social contract as a more satisfactory account of the basic rights and liberties of citizens as free and equal persons. "Each person," writes Rawls, "possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override." Advancing the ideas of Rousseau, Kant, Emerson, and Lincoln, Rawls's theory is as powerful today as it was when first published.

John Rawls, A Theory of Justice

John Rawls, A Theory of Justice
Author: Otfried Höffe
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 245
Release: 2013-07-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9047431065

Essential reading for all who are interested in mid-century, western, political philosophy and the philosophy of John Rawls especially his seminal text A Theory of Justice.

Rawls's 'A Theory of Justice'

Rawls's 'A Theory of Justice'
Author: Jon Mandle
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2009-10-15
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0521853923

This book reconstructs Rawls's argument, as well as discussing some of the most influential criticisms in the secondary literature.

Rawls’s A Theory of Justice at 50

Rawls’s A Theory of Justice at 50
Author: Paul Weithman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 688
Release: 2023-07-31
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1009214683

In 1971 John Rawls's A Theory of Justice transformed twentieth-century political philosophy, and it ranks among the most influential works in the history of the subject. This volume of new essays marks the 50th anniversary of its publication with a multi-faceted exploration of Rawls's most important book. A team of distinguished contributors reflects on Rawls's achievement in essays on his relationship to modern political philosophy and 20th-century economic theory, on his Kantianism, on his transition to political liberalism, on his account of public reason and contemporary challenges to it, on his theory's implications for problems of racial justice, on democracy and its fragility, and on Rawls's enduring legacy. The volume will be valuable for students and scholars working in moral and political philosophy, political theory, legal theory, and religious ethics.

An Analysis of John Rawls's A Theory of Justice

An Analysis of John Rawls's A Theory of Justice
Author: Filippo Dionigi
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2017-07-05
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1351351753

John Rawls's A Theory of Justice is one of the most influential works of legal and political theory published since the Second World War. It provides a memorably well-constructed and sustained argument in favour of a new (social contract) version of the meaning of social justice. In setting out this argument, Rawls aims to construct a viable, systematic doctrine designed to ensure that the process of maximizing good is both conscious and coherent – and the result is a work that foregrounds the critical thinking skill of reasoning. Rawls's focus falls equally on discussions of the failings of existing systems – not least among them Marxism and Utilitarianism – and on explanation of his own new theory of justice. By illustrating how he arrived at his conclusions, and by clearly explaining and justifying his own liberal, pluralist values, Rawls is able to produce a well structured argument that is fully focused on the need to persuade. Rawls explicitly explains his goals. He discusses other ways of conceptualizing a just society and deals with counter-arguments by explaining his objections to them. Then, carefully and methodically, he defines a number of concepts and tools—“thought experiments”—that help the reader to follow his reasoning and test his ideas. Rawls’s hypothesis is that his ideas about justice can be universally applied: they can be accepted as rational in any society at any time.

John Rawls

John Rawls
Author: Catherine Audard
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2014-12-05
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 131749394X

John Rawls (1921-2002) is one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century. Contemporary political philosophy has been reshaped by his seminal ideas and most current work in the discipline is a response to them. This book introduces his central ideas and examines their contribution to contemporary political thought. In the first part of the book Catherine Audard focuses on Rawls' conception of political and social justice and its justification as presented in his groundbreaking A Theory of Justice. This includes sustained examination of Rawls' moral philosophy and its core thesis, the primacy of justice, the complex relation between Rawls' views and utilitarianism, and his most famous concept, the Original Position Device. In the second half of the book, Audard explores Rawls' more practical concerns for stability and political consensus, citizenship and international justice, and shows the continuity between these concerns and his earlier work. Throughout, Audard contextualizes Rawls' ideas by giving a sense of their historical development, which underlines the intellectual cohesion of his thought. The move between ethics and politics so characteristic of Rawls' work, and which makes for the richness of his philosophy, is shown to also create for it significant problems. John Rawls combines clear exposition with insightful analysis and provides an interpretative and critical framework that will help shape ongoing debates surrounding Rawls' work.

Free and Equal

Free and Equal
Author: Joseph Grčić
Publisher: Algora Publishing
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2011
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0875868908

The ideas of John Rawls have revolutionized the shape and content of much of contemporary political and social philosophy. His A Theory of Justice (1971) and Political Liberalism, (1993) among other works, have been a rich source of ideas which continue to influence contemporary discussions about justice and politics. Although much has been written on the political philosophy of Rawls, there has not been any in-depth study focused on the implications of the ideas of Rawls for contemporary existing democracies. Drawing on some of his earlier work, the author offers a detailed exploration of how Rawlsian ideas impact the basic elements of Western democracies and the US Constitution and discusses the changes that would be necessary to make modern democracies more consistent with the basic values of liberal equality as understood by Rawls. The ideas of justice, equality, fairness, liberty, public reason, stability, the rule of law and other related concepts are the bases of the analysis of the US Constitution and suggestions for reform presented here. For many people, the American Dream has come to seem more like a vague hope than a real possibility. It is becoming increasingly clear that our society is faced with profound social and political problems which need to be confronted and addressed. Some of these problems are described in this book, and the solutions defended here are based on a deeper understanding of the underlying principles of the Constitution informed by the ideas of the philosopher John Rawls. This book is intended for the general educated public and college classrooms in political philosophy, philosophy of law, American government.

The Cambridge Companion to Rawls

The Cambridge Companion to Rawls
Author: Samuel Richard Freeman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 602
Release: 2003
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780521657068

Table of contents