John Rawls: His Life and Theory of Justice [Paperback]

John Rawls was one of the most important political philosophers of our time, and promises to be an enduring figure over the coming decades. HisTheory of Justice(1971) has had a profound impact across philosophy, politics, law, and economics. Nonetheless Rawlsian theory is not easy to understand, particularly for beginners, and his writing can be dense and forbidding. Thomas Pogge's short introduction (originally published in German) gives a thorough and concise presentation of the main outlines of Rawls's theory, introduces biographical information when necessary, and draws links between the Rawlsian enterprise and other important positions in moral and political philosophy.Preface1.1.1. Family and Schooling1.2. College and War1.3. Academic Career1.4. The Turbulent Decade 1962-19711.5. After A Theory of Justice1.6. The Meaning of Rawls's Project2.2.1. The Origin of the Theory2.2. The Complexity of Modern Sciences2.3. The Idea of an Overlapping Consensus2.4. The Scope of the Theory3.3.1. Purely Recipient-Oriented Criteria of Justice3.2. The Anonymity Condition3.3. Fundamental Interests versus Happiness4.4.1. The Original Position4.2. Maximin versus Average4.3. Primary Goods4.4. The Lexical Priority of the Basic Liberties5.5.1. The Structure of a Basic Right5.2. Formulating the Required Scheme of Basic Rights and Liberties5.3. The Fair Value of the Basic Political Liberties5.4. Permissible Reductions of Basic Liberties5.5. Impermissible Reductions of Basic Liberties6.6.1. The Difference Principle in First Approximation6.2. The Difference Principle in Detail6.3. Advocating the Difference Principle in the Original Position6.4. The Opportunity Principle6.5. Advocating the Oppportunity Principle in the Original Position6.6. A Property-Owning Demoló,