Publisher Description

John Rawls was one of the most important political philosophers of our time, and promises to be an enduring figure over the coming decades. His Theory 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 andconcise 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 andpolitical philosophy.

Author Biography

Thomas Pogge is Professor of Political Science at Columbia University and Professorial Research Fellow at the ANU Centre for Philosophy and Public Ethics. He has published widely on Rawls, Kant, political and moral philosophy, and on issues in global justice.

Table of Contents

Preface1: Biography1.1: 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: The Focus on the Basic Structure2.1: The Origin of the Theory2.2: The Complexity of Modern Sciences2.3: The Idea of an Overlapping Consensus2.4: The Scope of the Theory3: A Top-Tier Criterion of Justice3.1: Purely Recipient-Oriented Criteria of Justice3.2: The Anonymity Condition3.3: Fundamental Interests versus Happiness4: The Basic Idea: Justice as Fairness4.1: The Original Position4.2: Maximin versus Average4.3: Primary Goods4.4: The Lexical Priority of the Basic Liberties5: The First Principle of Justice5.1: 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: The Second Principle of Justice6.1: 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 Democracy7: A Rawlsian Society7.1: A Well-Ordered Society7.2: A Political Conception of Justice7.3: Political versus Comprehensive Liberalisms7.4: An Egalitarian Liberal Conception of Justice7.5: A Society Well-Ordered by Rawls's Conception7.6: A More Realistic Vision8: On Justification8.1: Reflective Equilibrium8.2: Fundamental Ideas8.3: Truth and Reasonableness9: The Reception of Justice as Fairness9.1: Rawls and Libertarianism9.2: Rawls and Communitarianism9.3: Rawls and KantConclusionAppendixIndex

Review

"There is a big need for a brief but well-informed study of Rawls for students and other beginners, complete with a bit of biographical information. Pogge's book is ideal. It is popular without being inaccurate. Pogge is as knowledgeable about Rawls's work as anyone could be, and he is a clear writer and a rigorous thinker."--Thomas Nagel, New York University"The book is indeed a pleasure to read; serious, clear, substantial, and sensible: it is for me the exemplar of what a book in philosophy ought to be today."--Rudiger Bittner, University of Bielefeld (on the German edition)

Prizes

Winner of *Choice* Outstanding Academic Book 2007.

Long Description

John Rawls was one of the most important political philosophers of our time, and promises to be an enduring figure over the coming decades. His Theory 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.

Review Text

"There is a big need for a brief but well-informed study of Rawls for students and other beginners, complete with a bit of biographical information. Pogge's book is ideal. It is popular without being inaccurate. Pogge is as knowledgeable about Rawls's work as anyone could be, and he is a clear writer and a rigorous thinker."--Thomas Nagel, New York University
"Pogge possesses a keen sense of the strengths and weaknesses of Rawls's philosophical project. Pogge enables readers to appreciate the personal context that informs Rawls's work. Essential."--E.J. Harpham, Choice
"The book is indeed a pleasure to read; serious, clear, substantial, and sensible: it is for me the exemplar of what a book in philosophy ought to be today."--Rudiger Bittner, University of Bielefeld (on the German edition)
"Overall, this might well rank as the most extensive and philosophically probing exposition of Rawls's political philosophy yet produced."--Arthur Kuflik, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
"There is a big need for a brief but well-informed study of Rawls for students and other beginners, complete with a bit of biographical information. Pogge's book is ideal. It is popular without being inaccurate. Pogge is as knowledgeable about Rawls's work as anyone could be, and he is a clear writer and a rigorous thinker."--Thomas Nagel, New York University
"The book is indeed a pleasure to read; serious, clear, substantial, and sensible: it is for me the exemplar of what a book in philosophy ought to be today."--Rudiger Bittner, University of Bielefeld (on the German edition)
"Overall, this might well rank as the most extensive and philosophically probing exposition of Rawls's political philosophy yet produced."--Arthur Kuflik, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

Review Quote

"There is a big need for a brief but well-informed study of Rawls for students and other beginners, complete with a bit of biographical information. Pogge's book is ideal. It is popular without being inaccurate. Pogge is as knowledgeable about Rawls's work as anyone could be, and he is a clear writer and a rigorous thinker."--Thomas Nagel, New York University "The book is indeed a pleasure to read; serious, clear, substantial, and sensible: it is for me the exemplar of what a book in philosophy ought to be today."--Rudiger Bittner, University of Bielefeld (on the German edition)

Details