Description
Book SynopsisCritics have maintained that John Rawls's theory of justice is unrealistic and undemocratic. Andrius Gališanka's incisive intellectual biography argues that in misunderstanding the origins and development of Rawls's argument, previous narratives fail to explain the novelty of his philosophical approach and so misunderstand his political vision.
Trade ReviewGališanka tracks the development of Rawls’s philosophical work as it evolved from his early inquiries into theology and the roots of evil to his secular justification for distributive justice…Leaves us with a compelling account of Rawls’s evolution and reminds us how philosophically rigorous the justification of Rawlsian high liberalism is. -- Seyla Benhabib * The Nation *
This book is a pathbreaking achievement. Drawing extensively on John Rawls’s private papers and integrating them expertly with the published writings, Andrius Gališanka develops a new and striking account of Rawls’s intellectual development from his college years to the publication of
A Theory of Justice. It is certain to change our understanding of the core motivations and ultimate aims of one of the greatest political philosophers of all time. -- Charles Larmore, Brown University
Drawing on important new archival materials, Andrius Gališanka has written a landmark study of one of the giants of twentieth-century political philosophy. Powerfully highlighted by the author’s deep research and judicious analysis, this will be a crucial volume for intellectual historians, political theorists, and philosophers who engage with Rawls, and of broad interest to those seeking to understand the origins and implications of his theory of justice. -- Angus Burgin, Johns Hopkins University
John Rawls’s influence on moral and political philosophy is difficult to overstate. His books and articles have been intensely studied since the appearance of
A Theory of Justice in 1971. But even those familiar with Rawls’s work may know little about how painstakingly he rehearsed his arguments prior to publication. Andrius Gališanka presents a careful study of everything Rawls wrote in the thirty years leading up to
A Theory of Justice, with findings welcome even by Rawls experts. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the intellectual development of the twentieth century’s most important moral and political thinker. -- Paul Weithman, University of Notre Dame
This compelling intellectual biography of John Rawls—which makes extensive use of the philosopher’s archives—has a great many virtues. Andrius Gališanka documents how Rawls’s commitment to respect for persons originating from his brand of Protestantism, in addition to his persistent search for what follows from considered judgments, made possible a classic of our time. -- Samuel Moyn, Yale University
Scholars of the work of liberal academic political theorist John Rawls will find this book highly useful. * Choice *
