Justice Theory

Since its initial publication in 1971, John Rawls's A Theory of Justice has become a classic work. The author has now revised the original edition to address a number of difficulties that he and others have encountered in the initial book. Rawls's primary aim is to express an essential component of the common core of the democratic tradition – justice as fairness – and to provide an alternative to utilitarianism, which had dominated the Anglo-Saxon tradition of political thought since the nineteenth century. Rawls substitutes the ideal of the social contract as a more satisfactory account of the basic rights and liberties of citizens as free and equal persons. "Each person," writes Rawls, "possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override." Advancing the ideas of philosophers such as Rousseau, Kant, Emerson, and Lincoln, Rawls's theory remains as powerful and influential today as it was when it was first published.

The revised edition of A Theory of Justice seeks to clarify and address the concerns that Rawls and others have identified in the original work. Rawls's goal is to articulate a fundamental aspect of the democratic tradition, namely the concept of justice as fairness, and to offer an alternative to the dominant utilitarian approach that had shaped political thought in the Anglo-Saxon world since the 19th century. Rawls proposes the ideal of the social contract as a more satisfactory framework for understanding the basic rights and freedoms of citizens as free and equal individuals. As Rawls eloquently states, "Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override."

Rawls's theory builds upon the ideas of influential thinkers like Rousseau, Kant, Emerson, and Lincoln, and its relevance and impact have endured since its initial publication. The revised edition of A Theory of Justice reflects Rawls's ongoing efforts to refine and clarify his groundbreaking work, ensuring that it continues to be a seminal contribution to political philosophy and the understanding of justice in modern democratic societies.

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