John Rawls (1921-2002) is one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century. Contemporary political philosophy has been reshaped by his seminal ideas and most current work in the discipline is a response to them. This book introduces his central ideas and examines their contribution to contemporary political thought. In the first part of the book Catherine Audard focuses on Rawls' conception of political and social justice and its justification as presented in his groundbreaking A Theory of Justice. This includes sustained examination of Rawls' moral philosophy and its core thesis, the primacy of justice, the complex relation between Rawls' views and utilitarianism, and his most famous concept, the Original Position Device. In the second half of the book, Audard explores Rawls' more practical concerns for stability and political consensus, citizenship and international justice, and shows the continuity between these concerns and his earlier work. Throughout, Audard contextualizes Rawls' ideas by giving a sense of their historical development, which underlines the intellectual cohesion of his thought. The move between ethics and politics so characteristic of Rawls' work, and which makes for the richness of his philosophy, is shown to also create for it significant problems. John Rawls combines clear exposition with insightful analysis and provides an interpretative and critical framework that will help shape ongoing debates surrounding Rawls' work.

About the Author
Catherine Audard is a visiting fellow in philosophy at the London School of Economics.

Reviews

"Audard's book offers a concise reading of John Rawls's political philosophy. It is all at once instructive, pedagogical, provocative, and well informed. . . it will play an important role in the future for Rawls scholarship and must be taken very seriously by all Rawlsian scholars." - Ethics

"An impressive book, written by someone who has an extensive and deep appreciation of Rawls' work. It offers a nuanced discussion of his central ideas, proceeding nicely from a discussion of A Theory of Justice through to Rawls' account of international political morality." - Matthew Clayton, University of Warwick, UK

Book Information
ISBN 9781844650514
Author Catherine Audard
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Acumen Publishing Ltd
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g