Rawls
contemporaryLiberal Political Philosophy1921 – 2002
John Rawls (1921–2002) was an American political philosopher widely regarded as the most influential political theorist of the twentieth century. His landmark work A Theory of Justice (1971) revived liberal political philosophy by grounding principles of justice in a hypothetical social contract behind a 'veil of ignorance.' His later work Political Liberalism refined how justice can be sustained in pluralistic democratic societies.
Notable Achievements
1
Developed the 'original position' and 'veil of ignorance' as tools for deriving principles of justice
2
Formulated the Difference Principle: inequalities are just only if they benefit the least advantaged
3
Revived normative political philosophy as a rigorous academic discipline with A Theory of Justice (1971)
4
Introduced 'reflective equilibrium' as a method for moral and political justification
5
Developed 'political liberalism' as a framework for maintaining justice amid reasonable pluralism