Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
Reviews of the previous edition:
"In his magisterial new work...John Rawls draws on the most subtle techniques of contemporary analytic philosophy to provide the social contract tradition with what is, from a philosophical point of view at least, the most formidable defense it has yet received...[and] makes available the powerful intellectual resources and the comprehensive approach that have so far eluded antiutilitarians. He also makes clear how wrong it was to claim, as so many were claiming only a few years back, that systematic moral and political philosophy are dead...Whatever else may be true it is surely true that we must develop a sterner and more fastidious sense of justice. In making his peerless contribution to political theory, John Rawls has made a unique contribution to this urgent task. No higher achievement is open to a scholar."
--Marshall Cohen, New York Times Book Review"[Rawls] has elucidated a conception of justice which goes beyond anything to be found in Kant or Rousseau. It is a convincing refutation, if one is needed, of any lingering suspicions that the tradition of English-speaking political philosophy might be dead. Indeed, his book might plausibly be claimed to be the most notable contribution to that tradition to have been published since Sidgwick and Mill."
--Times Literary Supplement"Enlightenment comes in various forms, sometimes even by means of books. And it is a pleasure to recommend...an indigenous American philosophical masterpiece of the first order...I mean...to press my recommendation of [this book] to non-philosophers, especially those holding positions of responsibility in law and government. For the topic with which it deals is central to this country's purposes, and the misunderstanding of that topic is central to its difficulties...And the central idea is simple, elegant, plausible, and easily applied by anybody at any time as a measure of the justice of his own actions."
--Peter Caws, New Republic"With the simple carpentry of its arguments, its egalitarian leanings, and its preoccupation with fairness, Rawls's classic 1971 work, A Theory of Justice, is as American a book as, say, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."
--Will Blythe, CivilizationReview
Rawls's Theory of Justice is widely and justly regarded as this century's most important work of political philosophy. Originally published in 1971, it quickly became the subject of extensive commentary and criticism, which led Rawls to revise some of the arguments he had originally put forward in this work...This edition will certainly become the definitive one; all scholars will use it, and it will be an essential text for any academic library. It contains a new preface that helpfully outlines the major revisions, and a 'conversion table' that correlates the pagination of this edition with the original, which will be useful to students and scholars working with this edition and the extensive secondary literature on Rawls's work. Highly recommended. Marshall Cohen - New York Times Book Review
Review
With the simple carpentry of its arguments, its egalitarian leanings, and its preoccupation with fairness, Rawls's classic 1971 work, A Theory of Justice, is as American a book as, say, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Peter Caws - New Republic
Review
In his magisterial new work...John Rawls draws on the most subtle techniques of contemporary analytic philosophy to provide the social contract tradition with what is, from a philosophical point of view at least, the most formidable defense it has yet received...[and] makes available the powerful intellectual resources and the comprehensive approach that have so far eluded antiutilitarians. He also makes clear how wrong it was to claim, as so many were claiming only a few years back, that systematic moral and political philosophy are dead...Whatever else may be true it is surely true that we must develop a sterner and more fastidious sense of justice. In making his peerless contribution to political theory, John Rawls has made a unique contribution to this urgent task. No higher achievement is open to a scholar. New York Times Book Review
Review
[Rawls] has elucidated a conception of justice which goes beyond anything to be found in Kant or Rousseau. It is a convincing refutation, if one is needed, of any lingering suspicions that the tradition of English-speaking political philosophy might be dead. Indeed, his book might plausibly be claimed to be the most notable contribution to that tradition to have been published since Sidgwick and Mill. J. D. Moon - Choice
Review
Enlightenment comes in various forms, sometimes even by means of books. And it is a pleasure to recommend...an indigenous American philosophical masterpiece of the first order...I mean...to press my recommendation of [this book] to non-philosophers, especially those holding positions of responsibility in law and government. For the topic with which it deals is central to this country's purposes, and the misunderstanding of that topic is central to its difficulties...And the central idea is simple, elegant, plausible, and easily applied by anybody at any time as a measure of the justice of his own actions. Times Literary Supplement
Review
I don't know of a more lucid articulation of the intuitions many of us share about what is just. Scott Turow
Synopsis
Since it appeared in 1971, John Rawls's < i="">
Synopsis
Since it appeared in 1971, John Rawls's A Theory of Justicehas become a classic. The author has now revised the original edition to clear up a number ofdifficulties 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 alternativeto 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 ofcitizens 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.
Synopsis
John Rawls is a 1999 National Humanities Medal Winner
About the Author
John Rawlswas James Bryant Conant University Professor at <>Harvard University. He was recipient of the 1999 National Humanities Medal.
Table of Contents
Preface for the Revised Edition
Preface
PART ONE THEORY
Chapter Justice as Fairness
The Role of Justice
The Subject of Justice
The Main idea of The Theory of Justice
The Original Position and Justification
Classical Utilitarianism
Some Related Contrasts
Intuitionism
The Priority Problem
Some Remarks about Moral Theory
The Principles of Justice
Institutions and Formal Justice
Two Principles of Justice
Interpretations of The Second Principle
Democratic Equality and The Difference Principle
Fair Equality of Opportunity and Pure Procedural Justice
Primary Social Goods as The Basis of Expectations
Relevant Social Positions
The Tendency to Equality
Principles for Individuals: The Principle of Fairness
Principles for Individuals: The Natural Duties
The Original Position
The Nature of The Argument for Conceptions of Justice
The Presentation of Alternatives
The Circumstances of Justice
The Formal Constraints of The Concept of Right
The Veil of Ignorance
The Rationality of The Parties
The Reasoning Leading to The Two Principles of Justice
The Reasoning Leading to The Principle of Average Utility
Some Difficulties with The Average Principle
Some Main Grounds for The Two Principles of Justice
Classical Utilitarianism, Impartiality, and Benevolence
PART TWO: INSTITUTIONS
Equal Liberty
The Four-Stage Sequence
The Concept of Liberty
Equal Liberty of Conscience
Toleration and The Common Interest
Toleration of The Intolerant
Political Justice and The Constitution
Limitations on The Principle of Participation
The Rule of Law
The Priority of Liberty Defined
The Kantian Interpretation of Justice as Fairness
Distributive Shares
The Concept of Justice in Political Economy
Some Remarks about Economic Systems
Background Institutions for Distributive Justice
The Problem of Justice between Generations
Time Preference
Further Cases of Priority
The Precepts of Justice
Legitimate Expectations and Moral Desert
Comparison with Mixed Conceptions
The Principle of Perfection
Duty and Obligation
The Arguments for The Principles of Natural Duty
The Arguments for The Principle of Fairness
The Duty to Comply with an Unjust Law
The Status of Majority Rule
The Definition of Civil Disobedience
The Definition of Conscientious Refusal
The Justification of Civil Disobedience
The Justification of Conscientious Refusal
The Role of Civil Disobedience
PART THREE: ENDS
Goodness as Rationality
The Need for a Theory of The Good
The Definition of Good for Simpler Cases
A Note on Meaning
The Definition of Good for Plans of Life
Deliberative Rationality
The Aristotelian Principle
The Definition of Good Applied to Persons
Self-Respect, Excellences, and Shame
Several Contrasts between The Right and The Good
The Sense of Justice
The Concept of a Well-Ordered Society
The Morality of Authority
The Morality of Association
The Morality of Principles
Features of The Moral Sentiments
The Connection between Moral and Natural Attitudes
The Principles of Moral Psychology
The Problem of Relative Stability
The Basis of Equality
The Good of Justice
Autonomy and Objectivity
The Idea of Social Union
The Problem of Envy
Envy and Equality
The Grounds for The Priority of Liberty
Happiness and Dominant Ends
Hedonism as a Method of Choice
The Unity of The Self
The Good of The Sense of Justice
Concluding Remarks on Justification
Conversion Table
Index