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Rawls: `A Theory of Justice' and Its Critics (Key Contemporary Thinkers)

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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.

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.

Kukathas and Petit are extremly succesful in this book. Their analysis about Rawls' theory of justice is essential for those who want to understand the theory. The best moment of the book is the final chapter,in which the reader is able to compare Rawls'positions through the years.A must for Law and Philosophy students.