Description
Rawls: An Introduction is a uniquely comprehensive introduction to the work of the American philosopher John Rawls (1921-2002), who transformed contemporary political philosophy. In the 1950s and 1960s, political philosophy seemed to have reached a dead end characterized by a loose predominance of utilitarian theses. Rawls’s
conception of liberalism placed civil liberties and social justice at its core, and his extraordinary influence has only been confirmed by the extent of the criticism he has provoked.The book is divided into three parts which correspond to Rawls’s three major books. The first concentrates on A Theory of Justice (1971) and examines the way in which Rawls’s general vision of social justice is presented. Maffettone also includes here a discussion of some of the most important critiques of Rawls. The second part of the book highlights Political Liberalism (1993-6), with a chapter dedicated to the “passage” from Theory of Justice to Political Liberalism. Finally, the third part provides a discussion of The Law of Peoples (1999).
This work is acomprehensive examination of these three major texts by a renowned Rawls scholar and will appeal to all philosophers and social scientists for whom it is essential to understand the key theories of this most influential of political philosophers.
HardbackStatusAvailableEditionFirst Edition
ISBN9780745646503ISBN100745646506Publication Dates ROW:Oct 2010Publication Dates US:Dec 2010Publication Dates Aus & NZ:Dec 2010
Format229 x 152 mm , 6 x 9 inPages300 pages
PaperbackStatusAvailableEditionFirst Edition
ISBN9780745646510ISBN100745646514Publication Dates ROW:Nov 2010Publication Dates US:Dec 2010Publication Dates Aus & NZ:Jan 2011
Format229 x 152 mm , 6 x 9 inPages300 pages
* Exam copies only available to lecturers for whom the book may be suitable as a course text.
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Reviews
“This is clearly a rich and insightful work, which will make a substantial contribution to the secondary literature on Rawls. The author is able to draw upon both his own extensive knowledge of the Rawls corpus and his personal interaction with Rawls himself in order to present a systematic overview of his political theory.”
Daniel Butt
Table of Contents
Author Information
Sebastiano Maffettone is Professor of Political Philosophy at LUISS University.
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