Rawls

The Routledge Philosophers

by Samuel Freeman

In this superb introduction, Samuel Freeman introduces and assesses the main topics of Rawls' philosophy. Starting with a brief biography and charting the influences on Rawls' early thinking, he goes on to discuss the heart of Rawls's his principles of justice and their practical application to society.

Subsequent chapters discuss Rawls's theories of liberty, political and economic justice, democratic institutions, goodness as rationality, moral psychology, political liberalism, and international justice and a concluding chapter considers Rawls' legacy.



Clearly setting out the ideas in Rawls' masterwork, A Theory of Justice, Samuel Freeman also considers Rawls' other key works, including Political Liberalism and The Law of Peoples. An invaluable introduction to this deeply influential philosopher, Rawls is essential reading for anyone coming to his work for the first time.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Politics

578 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Samuel Freeman is an American philosopher, Avalon Professor of the Humanities and Professor of Philosophy and Law at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a leading authority on the philosophy of John Rawls and also writes in political and legal philosophy, from a Rawlsian perspective. (from Wikipedia)

NOTE: for a catch-all author profile of the same name see Samuel Freeman.

Reviews

[Reuben HF · Rating 5 out of 5]

The idea's of John Rawls, via this book, were my first deep philosophical rabbit hole, and set me on the path of philosophy I am still living today. Having first read passages in 2016, I've returned innumerous times to read and reread various chapters, slowly edging towards a cover to cover education in Rawls. That process was completed this morning, finally reading the early pages on his biography. Though my main ideas have long since departed from his, he will always be important to me for the influence he has weilded on my life. This work by Freeman presents Rawls' thought with a stunning clarity and concision that the primary texts sadly often lack.

[Brian Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thorough exposition of Rawls' work, but still really seemed to bog down.

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

The go-to resource for would-be Rawls scholars.

[Sergei Moska · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic, comprehensive text on Rawls, spanning Theory of Justice to Law of Peoples. Freeman's exposition is extremely clear, and I came away from the text with a much solidified grasp on Rawls' thought, and especially on the crucial differences between Rawls' projects in Theory of Justice and Political Liberalism. I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to have a strong working knowledge of Rawls without having to delve into the primary texts. This text on its own will get you very far. That said, two caveats:

1-I've read Rawls prior to reading this book. I think that this book is appropriate for those who are totally unfamiliar with him, but I can't promise that this will be so

2-Freeman repeats himself a lot throughout the text. Normally this would be annoying, but I strangely didn't mind it at all. This tendency of his might have the happy side-effect of reinforcing through repetition the structure of Rawls' argument. If you're the type who would find this very annoying, though, prepare to be annoyed for ~460 pages

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This writer is really easy to read.