Customer Reviews

The Cambridge Companion to Rawls (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.