John Rawls

Life

• Birth: Born on February 21, 1921 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA
• Education:
• BA from Princeton University (1943)
• PhD in Philosophy from Princeton (1950)
• Career:
• Taught at Princeton (1950-1952)
• Professor at Cornell University (1953-1959)
• Professor at MIT (1960-1962)
• Professor at Harvard University (1962-1991)
• Death: Died on November 24, 2002 in Lexington, Massachusetts

People Who Influenced Their Thought

• Immanuel Kant: Inspired his deontological framework
• John Locke: Influenced his social contract theory
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Shaped his democratic ideals
• David Hume: Impacted his moral philosophy

Main Ideas and Publications

• A Theory of Justice: (1971) His magnum opus on justice as fairness
• Political Liberalism: (1993) Developed his ideas for pluralistic societies
• The Law of Peoples: (1999) Applied his theory to international relations
• Original Position: Hypothetical choice situation for determining principles of justice
• Veil of Ignorance: Method for ensuring impartiality in moral reasoning
• Difference Principle: Inequalities must benefit the least advantaged

Controversies around Their Main Work or Thought

• Ideal Theory Critique: Challenged for being too abstract from real politics
• Communitarian Criticism: Alleged to overlook importance of community values
• Global Justice Debate: His international theory seen as too conservative by cosmopolitans

Key People Influenced by Their Thought

• Jürgen Habermas: Engaged with his political philosophy
• Martha Nussbaum: Developed capabilities approach in dialogue with Rawls
• Thomas Pogge: Student who extended his work on global justice
• Amartya Sen: Engaged critically with his theory of justice

Legacy

John Rawls revitalized political philosophy in the 20th century with his theory of justice as fairness, providing the most influential liberal account of social justice since John Stuart Mill.