Political Liberalism (Columbia Classics in Philosophy)

John Rawls is an extraordinary modern political philosopher. "Political Liberalism" is book that lays out Rawls theory of the "Reasonable Society". In what can best be described as great novel like prose, Rawls lays out his formula for getting Homo Sapiens to a Reasonable Society.A Reasonable Society is contrasted by Rawls to that of a Rational Society. While on the surface these two concepts appear to be indistinguishable, they are in fact a good deal different.A Rational Society is one that is predicated upon logic as its defining concept. A Reasonable Society on the other hand goes beyond this narrower concept of society and adds the idea of man posing a kind of morality in addition to his rational pre-disposition.Rawls theory as presented in Political Liberalism" is well written and tightly argued in the best tradition of both modern and ancient philosophers. With "Political Liberalism" Rawls take the theories of some our greatest political philosophers and makes a significant contribution to extending their work.This book is so well written, it can be read and enjoyed by just about anyone. If you ever wondered why or democratic institutions no longer seem to work, where the politics of conflict seem the only realty, when you want to know what makes this country so unique and which holds such promise for the rest of the world, you will see these concepts in a engaging read. Highly recommend.

Here, Rawls tries to improve his argument of "justice as fairness" in "A Theory of Justice" posing it as actually a (one of the most) valid perspective under a political liberalism, in order to ensure equal rights and freedom in a democratic constitutional cooperative society. I would recommend that the first-time interested reader to get a glimpse at "A Theory of justice" (at least the first part) before this one, for a better understanding of his root ideas; for even though it covers most of the TJ's concepts, it does in a form of "restatement" to forfeit the adaptation of his theory due to the flaws he noticed in the first book. But even for the first time reader, it might seem somewhat easy to understand basically what he is trying to say.One of the greatest books of one of the greatest thinkers, not to say philosophers or politicians of our time. A must-have for anyone regarding subjects from law and democracy to morals and philosophy in general.

If you want to know where 'Public Reason' came from, you have to read this. But in my view, like many philosophers, Rawls does not write well and it is good for before bed if you are having trouble sleeping. There is also the large and unresolvable problem of his proviso. In my view the idea of Public Reason remains wholly inconsistent with even the version of Liberty of Conscience he set out 20+ years earlier in a Theory of Justice. I found that idea convincing, but this is an unconvincing reply to his critics but I think it is more about trying to reconcile his pretty ToJ theory with what went wrong in US freedom of religious jurisprudence after 1971...

Rawls has finally brought his powerful project of sociological and political philosophy to a conclusion with insights he may not have expected when he first published Political Liberalism in 1993.The inclusion of his 'Reply to Habermas', after my having also read Habermas' critique, helped him and specially me to understand the issues raised in that exchange and to enjoy following them. The inclusion also of 'The Idea of Public Reason Revisited' is very worthwhile, as it maps out the amendments he had started to make to Political Liberalism that had been cut short by his death.

This book is indispensable for understanding contemporary political philosophy. It doesn't replace A THEORY OF JUSTICE for understanding Rawl's theory of justice (but it wasn't meant to), but it is key to understanding the debate between, for example, Rawls (and political liberalism in general) and perfectionism. This book also includes many of Rawls's answers to criticism of his theory as presented in A THEORY OF JUSTICE.

This expanded version of Political Liberalism is fantastic. Particularly the closing essay rounds Rawls ideas extremely well and paves the way for better understanding the contested world in which we live in today.

still havnt finished it, great book, using a veil of ignorance is the craziest anti psychopathic thing ever, wish i could see it used more often

Great for philosophy, politics, law students. This is considered a primary (must-read) text in many disciplines and, although repetitive at times, is fairly accessible and not difficult to get through. Rawls had a big vision.