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Is the science of moral cognition usefully modeled on aspects of Universal Grammar? Are human beings born with an innate "moral grammar" that causes them to analyze human action in terms of its moral structure, with just as little awareness as they analyze human speech in terms of its grammatical structure? Questions like these have been at the forefront of moral psychology ever since John Mikhail revived them in his influential work on the linguistic analogy and its implications for jurisprudence and moral theory.In this seminal book, Mikhailoffers a careful and sustained analysis of the moral grammar hypothesis, showing how some of John Rawls' original ideas about the linguistic analogy, together with famous thought experiments like the trolley problem, can be used to improve our understanding of moral and legal judgment. The book will be of interest to philosophers, cognitive scientists, legal scholars, and other researchers in theinterdisciplinary field of moral psychology. ... Read more

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John Rawls is the most significant and influential moral philosopher of the twentieth century. His work has profoundly affected contemporary discussions of social, political and economic justice in philosophy, law, political science, economics and other social disciplines. In this collection of new essays, many of the world's leading political and moral theorists discuss the full range of Rawls's contribution to the concepts of political and economic justice, democracy, liberalism, constitutionalism and international justice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Understanding Rawls
Rawls theory of justice is a complex work with so many interrelated concepts that not only beginners but even the more experienced need help of other thinkers to better appreciate his work. This collection of essays fulfills this need. The contributors have explained in detail the concepts like 'Original Position', reflective equilibrium, and the difference principle which are the main pillars of Rawls work and also explored the relationship of his work to other areas of political philosophy and social justice.

Certain underlying assumptions and thoughts not overtly found in Rawls literature have also been brought to focus. Essayists have also extended Rawls views to concerns like feminism not expressly treated by him.

The essays are mainly sympathetic to Rawls point of view and also explain how some other lines of thought like communitarianism can be accommodated within Rawlsian framework.

I think that value of the book could have been enhanced by including views of Rawls' main critics like Sandel and Nozik in more detail. That would have given the reader an opportunity to consider the competing political theories better.

If you have read Rawls earlier and want more clarity about his views, this book will be a great help.

Excellent
The series of "Cambridge Companions" is recognized for doing a impressive job of collecting articles on leading thinkers and this tome on Rawls justifies that reputation. This a remarkable series of essays written by a wide range of leading Rawls commentators.

When assembling a collection on any great philosopher, due to their sheer number, some perspectives and some influential interpretations have to be left out. The present case is no exception: one certainly gets the impression that many points of view were left out of this collection. The authors are, for the most part, quite sympathetic to Rawls and interested in defending him from many of his critics. This is perhaps not surprising, considering that the great majority of them were either his students or colleagues (but then again, many of his most famous critics were as well) The article on Rawls and Communitarianism, for instance, is more of a rebuttal of communitarian interpretations and criticisms of Rawls than it is a communitarian commentary on Rawls. But this, I think, can be forgiven as it is a rebuttal that still leaves you with an impression of what such a communitarian approach generally is. So though you won't find contributions from Nozick, Sandel, Walzer, Taylor, Harsanyi, Cavell or Rorty in here, all in all, this remains an excellent volume, for both the unfamiliar with Rawls and the advanced student.

Excellent resource
This book is an excellent resource both for the student first coming to Rawls and the experience philosopher who wants to know more about his theory.All of the essays are of the highest quality.It should take the place of Norman Daniels' excellent, but out-dated, "Reading Rawls" as the standard companion set of essays for any class dealing with Rawls, and will provide fruitful ground for scholars for years to come. ... Read more

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Reasoned counterpoint
IJ is an excellent, highly referenced,organized, and thoughtful critique
of Rawl's landmark secular ethic. Replete with quotes and bibliography as well as highly cross referenced in philosophy and political science sources. Very helpful summary chapter at the end. A read for every serious
conservative who wants a window into how liberals and most the activist legal system rationalize and justify their positions and policies - from
the naieve anthropocentric point of view of the Original Position. ... Read more

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This volume examines Rawls's theory of international justice as worked out in his controversial last book, The Law of Peoples. ... Read more

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This collection brings together the most important published papers on Rawls' work. In addition to a general introduction, the set includes introductions to each volume which help guide the reader through the material. The thematically organized volumes include:
* Vol. 1: Foundations and Method
* Vols. 2-3: Principles of Justice I and II
* Vol. 4: Political Liberalism and the Law of Peoples ... Read more

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Taken together, the articles collected in this volume offer readers a reliable, illuminating, up-to-date and comprehensive introduction to both the political philosophy of John Rawls and the most significant of the scholarly debates it has generated and is likely to generate in coming years. Thoughtfully selected and introduced by David Reidy, they establish the structure, depth, fecundity and appeal, as well as the potentially significant defects, of Rawls' thought. The volume represents an invaluable resource for both students and scholars of Rawls or contemporary political philosophy. ... Read more

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John Rawls' "A Theory of Justice" has been influential in philosophy, political theory, welfare economics and jurisprudence. This book is thought to be the first full-length study of Rawls' work. It provides a concise account of Rawls' central ideas, situates them within contemporary debates, and submits them to critical scrutiny. Kukathas and Petit discuss, among other things, the utilitarian orthodoxy and its problems; the emergence of majoritarian and other social choice alternatives; the contractarian synthesis and its policy implications; the notion of reflective equilibrium; and the various critiques of the contractarian view. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

fair over-view, but not the best avaliable
This book is not bad if you want a quick over-view of Rawls.It's very readable and not terribly unreliable.But, it is also fairly superficial (it's hard to see how it could not be, given how short it is) and does not go in to significant depth as to any aspect of Rawls.The transition from A Theory of Justice to Political Liberalism is, in particular, given too little space.If all you want is a quick over-view of Rawls you can do worse, but if you want either a serious introduction or commentary you should look elsewhere.Jon Mandle's _What's Left of Liberalism_, Samuel Freeman's _Rawls_ (in the Routledge Philosophers series) or the _Cambridge Companion to Rawls_ are better choices.

Cliff Notes
This short book outlines the argument of "A Theory of Justice," John Rawls' landmark book of political theory; it also considers the critical commentary that has swirled around Rawls' book since its publication in the 1970s.Strangely, more space is given to "communitarian" critics such as Michael Sandel than to libertarian philosopher Robert Nozick, who is usually treated as Rawls' intellectual nemesis.The authors write clearly and their discussion is fine as far as it goes; however, it doesn't go very far.The book is too short and sketchy to be of much value to anyone except absolute beginners in philosophy.

Highly recommended
Kukathas and Petit are extremly succesful in this book. Their analysisabout Rawls' theory of justice is essential for those who want tounderstand the theory. The best moment of the book is the final chapter,inwhich the reader is able to compare Rawls'positions through the years.Amust for Law and Philosophy students. ... Read more

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Seminararbeit aus dem Jahr 2001 im Fachbereich Theologie - Systematische Theologie, einseitig bedruckt, Note: zwei, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Katholisch-Theologische Fakultät / Lehrstuhl für Christliche Sozialethik), Veranstaltung: Solidarität in der modernen Gesellschaft - Hinführung zu sozialethischen Grundfragen Urzustand Schleier des Nichtwissens, Sprache: Deutsch, Anmerkungen: Solidarität als Paradigma der Gegenwarts-Philosophie und -Soziallehre., Abstract: Der Autor selbst benennt im Hauptgedanken als Anspruch für seine Gerechtigkeitstheorie die bekannte Theorie des Gesellschaftsvertrags zu verallgemeinern und auf eine höhere Abstraktionsebene zu heben.Er stellt sein Werk dabei selbst in direkten Bezug zu den neuzeitlichen Vertragstheorien von Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, John Lockes Abhandlungen über die Regierung, Jean-Jaques Rousseaus Gesellschaftsvertrag und Immanuel Kants Metaphysische Anfangsgründe der Rechtslehre. Diese wiederum greifen vielfach auf Platons Politeia und Aristoteles' Politik zurück.Sozialethik ist Strukturenethik: Sie beschäftigt sich demnach mit den sich Menschen gebenden Strukturen und Ordnungen von Institutionen und Normen. Hierzu prüft sie diese nach anthroposophischen Maßstäben und übt gegebenenfalls Kritik. Oberstes Prinzip ist hierbei der Mensch als Subjekt und Person. Sie erstreckt sich folglich über die gleichen Wirkungsbereiche wie Rawls' Gesellschaftstheorie. Gemeinsam stellen sie die Forderung nach sozialer Gerechtigkeit auf. Diese setzt sich aus den Gerechtigkeitsgrundformen der iustitia commutativa (Vertrags-Gerechtigkeit), iustitia distributiva (Teilhabe-Gerechtigkeit) und iustitia legalis (Gesetzes-Gerechtigkeit) zusammen. Darauf bauen die Dimensionen von Besitzstands-, Leistungs-, Chancen-, Bedürfnis- und Zukunftsgerechtigkeit auf. John Rawls schuf 1971 mit A Theory of Justice gleichermaßen persönliches und philosophiegeschichtliches Hauptwerk. Auf durchaus utopisiernde Weise systematisiert er sei ... Read more

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Seminararbeit aus dem Jahr 1998 im Fachbereich Politik - Politische Theorie und Ideengeschichte, einseitig bedruckt, Note: 1,7, Freie Universität Berlin (Otto-Suhr-Institut), Veranstaltung: Ethik und Politik in der politischen Philosophie der Gegenwart, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Was ist gut? Was ist gerecht? Zwei Fragen, auf die schon hunderte von Antworten gefunden wurden, die sich aber trotzdem beständig neu stellen. Bald schreiben wir das 21. Jahrhundert, und mit großen Schritten wird die Welt immer kleiner. Per Internet, Fax und E-Mail kann man von einer Sekunde zur nächsten Kontakte zum anderen Ende der Erde aufbauen. Flugzeuge legen in wenigen Stunden Strecken zurück, für die noch vor einigen Jahrhunderten das Leben riskiert wurde. Die Grenzen zwischen Ländern und Kulturen verschwimmen immer mehr. Sateliten lassen Asien, Afrika oder den Nordpol in unseren Wohnzimmern erscheinen. Je bunter und vielfältiger unsere Gesellschaften aber werden, um so schwerer scheint es dem Einzelnen zu fallen, Orientierung zu finden. Traditionen, die oft die Frage nach gut oder schlecht, gerecht oder ungerecht beantwortet haben, verlieren immer stärker an Bedeutung, und Begriffe wie Moral und Ethik scheinen leer in Anbetracht des Zerfalls der Sitten. Armut, Korruption und Gewalt flimmern nicht nur im Fernseher. Aggressivität und Ellenbogenverhalten oder das Ausgrenzen anderer sind für viele schon Alltag geworden. Ethik und Moral müssen mit neuem Leben erfüllt werden, will man diesem Zusammenbruch zwischenmenschlicher Beziehungen entgegenwirken. Das Thema Gerechtigkeit tritt auch in unserer Wohlstandsgesellschaft - oder gerade hier - mehr in den Mittelpunkt. Seit dem Ende der 60-er, Anfang der 70-er Jahre stellen sich Philosophen wie Jürgen Habermas und John Rawls erneut dieser Frage. Aufgrund persönlicher Erfahrungen kamen sie zu der Erkenntnis, daß wir mit unserem Handeln dazu beitragen, daß sich die Armut auf der Welt immer weiterentwickelt. Aus der Pflicht heraus, nichtmehr a ... Read more

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John Rawls' pioneering work of political philosophy "A Theory of Justice" has had far reaching influence on modern liberal political philosophy. Rawls' principles of justice as fairness: the principle of liberty, the principle of fair equality of opportunity and the famous 'difference principle' have been both heavily criticized and incorporated into other political theories. In the book Paivansalo both presents a deep analysis of the whole Rawlsian canon and builds upon and goes beyond Rawls' conception by introducing a fresh theoretical framework to clarify and modify different balances of the elements of Rawlsian justice. Justice as fairness is analyzed into its parts and elements, critically examined to find the strongest most favourable interpretations of each principle and in this light the principles are reconstructed and rebalanced in such a way as to resist the most significant criticisms of the Rawlsian project. ... Read more

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Providing a critical examination of the political philosophy and international thought of the contemporary American philosopher John Rawls, this book shows an account of Rawls's views regarding the nature of social justice among states and the international law and morality he considers necessary to secure universal human rights and political stability among states. A concise and critical analysis of one of the foremost political philosophers, this carefully examines Rawls's theories of domestic and international justice and his arguments for a cosmopolitan variation on his law of peoples. ... Read more