Rawls: ‘A Theory of Justice’ and Its Critics (Key Contemporary Thinkers)

John Rawls' "A Theory of Justice" has been influential in philosophy, political theory, welfare economics and jurisprudence. This book is thought to be the first full-length study of Rawls' work. It provides a concise account of Rawls' central ideas, situates them within contemporary debates, and submits them to critical scrutiny. Kukathas and Petit discuss, among other things, the utilitarian orthodoxy and its problems; the emergence of majoritarian and other social choice alternatives; the contractarian synthesis and its policy implications; the notion of reflective equilibrium; and the various critiques of the contractarian view. A study of Rawls' work, "A Theory of Justice", the book gives a concise account of Rawls' central ideas, situates them within contemporary debates and subjects them to critical scrutiny. Among the subjects covered are utilitarianism, majoritarianism and the contractarian synthesis. "...A clear, concise account of [John] Rawls' theory [of justice], and its significance in contemporary political philosophy..."--Cover 4 Chandran Kukathas And Philip Pettit. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [155]-160) And Index. By way of background we need to understand the state of political theory prior to Rawls's work.