Contexts of Justice: Political Philosophy beyond Liberalism and Communitarianism

Philosophy, Social Theory, and the Rule of Law

by Rainer Forst, John M. M. Farrell (Translator)

Contexts of Justice, highly acclaimed when it was published in Germany, provides a significant new intervention into the important debate between communitarianism and liberalism. Rainer Forst argues for a theory of "contexts of justice" that leads beyond the narrow confines of this debate as it has been understood until now and posits the possibility of a new conception of social and political justice. This book brings refreshing clarity to a complex topic as it provides a synthesis of traditions and theories that leads to a truly original approach.

Forst makes a four-part distinction to decipher the debate between communitarianism and liberalism. These four parts concern the constitution of the self, the neutrality of law, the ethos of democracy, and the opposition between universalism and contextualism. He shows that a comprehensive theory of justice needs to take these different contexts adequately into account. He discusses recent debates about discursive democracy and feminist critiques of liberalism, and addresses such topics as multiculturalism and civil society.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics

385 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Rainer Forst is a German philosopher and political theorist, and was called the "most important political philosopher of his generation" in 2012, when he won the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize.

Reviews

[Mikey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on contemporary political philosophy in past 20 years.