Ezra's Bookshelf

Political Liberalism

by John Rawls · 589 pages · ~10.5 hrs

PhilosophyPolitics & Government

Recommended on

buy on bookshop.org →
John Rawls, whose 'A Theory of Justice' reshaped political philosophy, addresses a challenge to his earlier work: how can a just society accommodate citizens who hold irreconcilable religious, moral, and philosophical views? Rawls develops the concept of 'political liberalism'—a framework for thinking about justice that does not depend on any particular comprehensive doctrine. Citizens can support shared political principles while disagreeing profoundly about metaphysics, religion, and the meaning of life. Rawls introduces the idea of 'overlapping consensus': different groups endorsing the same political arrangements for different reasons drawn from their distinct worldviews. He distinguishes 'public reason'—the terms in which citizens should deliberate about fundamental matters—from the fuller doctrines they hold privately. The book is demanding, written for philosophical readers, but the questions it addresses are urgent: How can pluralistic societies maintain unity? What do citizens owe each other in political deliberation? What are the limits of toleration? For anyone seeking rigorous analysis of liberal democracy's foundations, Rawls remains essential.

For fans of