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Political Liberalism: Expanded Edition

John Rawls

Paper, 576 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-13089-9
$24.95 / £16.95

second edition
July, 2005
Cloth, 576 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-13088-2
$73.50 / £50.50


Introduction

Introduction to the Paperback Edition

PART ONE Political Liberalism: Basic Elements

Lecture I. Fundamental Ideas

Addressing Two Fundamental Questions

The Idea of a Political Conception of Justice

The Idea of Society as a Fair System of Cooperation

The Idea of the Original Position

The Political Conception of the Person

The Idea of a Well-Ordered Society

Neither a Community nor an Association

The Use of Abstract Conceptions

Lecture II. The Powers of Citizens and Their Representation

The Reasonable and the Rational

The Burdens of Judgement

Reasonable Comprehensive Doctrines

The Publicity Condition: Its Three Levels

Rational Autonomy: Artificial not Political

Full Autonomy: Political not Ethical

The Basis of Motivation in the Person

Moral Psychology: Philosophical not Psychological

Lecture III. Political Constructivism

The Idea of a Constructivist Conception

Kant's Moral Constructivism

Justice as Fairness as a Constructivist View

The Role of Conceptions of Society and Person

Three Conceptions of Objectivity

Objectivity Independent of the Casual View of Knowledge

When Do Objective Reasons Exist, Politically Speaking?

The Scope of Political Constructivism

PART TWO Political Liberalism: Three Main Ideas

Lecture IV. The Idea of an Overlapping Consensus

How is Political Liberalism Possible?

The Question of Stability

Three Features of an Overlapping Consensus

An Overlapping Consensus not Indifferent or Skeptical

A Political Conception Need Not Be Comprehensive

Steps to Constitutional Consensus

Steps to Overlapping Consensus

Conception and Doctrines: How Related

Lecture V. Priority of Right and Ideas of the Good

How a Political Conception Limits Conceptions of the Good

Goodness as Rationality

Primary Goods and Interpersonal Comparisons

Primary Goods as Citizens' Need

Permissible Conceptions of the Good and Political Virtues

Is Justice as Fairness Fair to Conceptions of the Good?

The Good of Political Society

That Justice as Fairness is Complete

Lecture VI. The Idea of Public Reason

The Question and Forums of Public Right

Public Reason and the Ideal of Democratic Citizenship

Nonpublic Reasons

The Content of Public Reason

The Ideal of Constitutional Essentials

The Supreme Court as Exemplar of Public Reason

Apparent Difficulties with Public Reason

The Limits of Public Reason

PART THREE Institutional Framework

Lecture VII.The Basic Structure as Subject

First Subject of Justice

Unity by Appropriate Sequence

Libertarianism Has No Special Role for the Basic Structure

The Importance of Background Justice

How the Basic Structure Affects Individuals

Initial Agreement as Hypothetical and Nonhistorical

Special Features of the Initial Agreement

The Social Nature of Human Relationships

Ideal Form for the Basic Structure

Reply to Hegel's Criticism

Lecture VIII. The Basic Liberties and Their Priority

The Initial Aim of Justice as Fairness

The Special Status of Basic Liberties

Conceptions of Person and Social Cooperation

The Original Position

Priority of Liberties, I: Second Moral Power

Priority of Liberties, II: First Moral Power

Basic Liberties not Merely Formal

A Fully Adequate Scheme of Basic Liberties

How Liberties Fit into One Coherent Scheme

Free Political Speech

The Clear and Present Danger Rule

Maintaining the Fair Value of Political Liberties

Liberties Connected with the Second Principle

The Role of Justice as Fairness

Lecture IX. Reply to Habermas

Two Main Differences

Overlapping Consensus and Justification

Liberties of the Moderns Versus the Will of the People

The Roots of the Liberties

Procedural Versus Substantive Justice

Conclusion

Related Subjects


Series


About the Author

The late John Rawls was professor emeritus of philosophy at Harvard University. His other books include The Law of Peoples with “The Idea of Public Reason Revisited” and Justice as Fairness: A Restatement. Martha Nussbaum is Ernest Freund Distinguished Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago. She is the author of many books, including Sex and Social Justice, Love’s Knowledge, and Hiding from Humanity.

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