Rawls’s A Theory of Justice at 50
Rawls’s <i>A Theory of Justice</i> at 50
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.
- Wide-ranging essays illuminate the richness of Rawls's most important book
- Highlights Rawls's relationship to great figures in the history of political philosophy
- Marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of his A Theory of Justice
Reviews & endorsements
‘In this volume some of the leading political philosophers working today demonstrate unequivocally that 50 years after the publication of A Theory of Justice, the Rawlsian framework remains a rich and productive source of insight. While some of the contributions shed light on that framework itself and its development, others use its resources to push into areas that Rawls himself did not address in depth. Whether tracing the development of the idea of public reason within and beyond Rawls's own work, comparing Rawls with important historical and contemporary figures, or assessing the ability of justice as fairness to address issues of racial injustice, the essays are of uniformly high quality.' Jon Mandle, SUNY Albany
‘The generations that have grown up witnessing regular major recessions in 2008 and 2020 have begun rediscovering Rawls’s work and putting it to the more radical purposes it was intended for. This makes the new collection Rawls’s A Theory of Justice at 50, edited by Paul Weithman, a welcome contribution.’ Matt McManus, Jacobin
Product details
May 2025Paperback
9781009214667
391 pages
229 × 152 × 21 mm
0.565kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Part I. Rawls and History:
- 1. 'Taillight illumination: how Rawlsian concepts may improve understanding of Hobbes's political philosophy' S. A. Lloyd
- 2. 'The theory Rawls, the 1844 Marx, and the market' Daniel Brudney
- 3. 'Rawls, Lerner, and the tax-and-spend booby trap: what happened to monetary policy?' Aaron James
- 4. 'Rawls's principles of justice as a transcendence of class warfare' Elizabeth Anderson
- 5. 'The significance of injustice' Peter de Marneffe
- Part II. Developments between A Theory of Justice and Political Liberalism:
- 6. 'On being a 'self-originating source of valid claims' Stephen Darwall
- 7. ' Moral independence revisited: a note on the development of Rawls's thought from 1977–1980 and beyond' Samuel Scheffler
- 8. 'The method of insulation: on the development of Rawls's thought after a theory of justice' Rainer Forst
- 9. 'The stability or fragility of justice' Japa Pallikkathayil
- Part III. Rawls, Ideal Theory and the Persistence of Injustice:
- 10. 'The circumstances of justice' Erin I. Kelly
- 11. 'Why Rawls's ideal theory leaves the well-ordered society vulnerable to structural oppression' Henry S. Richardson
- 12. 'Race, reparations, and justice as fairness' Tommie Shelby
- 13. ' On the role of the original position in Rawls's theory: reassessing the 'idealization' and 'fact-sensitivity' critiques' Laura Valentini
- Part IV. Pluralism, Democracy and the Future of Justice as Fairness:
- 14. 'Public reason at fifty' Kevin Vallier
- 15. 'Reasonable political conceptions and the well-ordered liberal society' Samuel Freeman
- 16. 'Religious pluralism and social unions' Paul Weithman
- 17. 'One Person, at least one vote? Rawls on political equality…within limits' David Estlund
- 18. 'Reflections on democracy's fragility' Joshua Cohen
- 19. 'A society of self-respect' Leif Wenar
- Bibliography
- Index.
