Customer Reviews

What's Left of Liberalism?: An Interpretation and Defense of Justice as Fairness

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

 

 

The work of Rawls is a thriving academic specialty,but his reputation in the broader spectrum of liberal or other opinion is problematical, with too many negative verdicts of various kinds pronounced on his work by archaic liberal fanatics and others. In one way this is merely a sign of conservative ideology, but from another direction the left has proven incapable of cutting through its own jargon long enough to appreciate the rich explorations initiated by Theory of Justice. This very cogent exposition of the major themes of Rawls' seminal work speaks to the left's recalcitrance and embarks on a detailed look at the major themes,ending with a challenge to postmodern meanderings and its inability to produce a viable liberal or any other coherent view of political philosophy. Cheerful and engaging work, that might poke leftist prejudice a bit. The first book I read was the critique of Wolff, a fascinating work, but it left me complacently critical. This book jolts you into seeing that while many sermonize on utopian themes, Rawls actually rolled up his sleeves and tried to repair basic Enlightenment liberalism with a brilliant descendant of the long lost contract theories.

Early in his book Mandle writes, "A progressive philosophy without a movement is empty; a movement without a philosophical framework is blind." He then proceeds in this wonderful book to illuminate a political philosophy that progressives in this country can embrace.

Drawing on John Rawls' important work on the Theory of Justice as Fairness, Mandle provides progressives with the vital philosophical underpining that we have long been missing. His analysis is powerful and his prose surprisingly accessible. He draws careful connections between Rawls' theories and contemporary political thought, and those connections lend his work a salience and utility that is rare in an academic work. Read it and see for yourself.

This book is an excellent elucidation of Rawls's "justice as fairness". Mandle deals with the fundamental misconceptions that many encounter when reading Rawls, as is clear by the secondary literature on justice as fairness. I recommend this book to anyone having trouble understanding Rawls's position and anyone interested in political philosophy.

Mandle explains Rawls, but even more important he shows how Rawls is relevant to today's progressives. Rejecting communitarian and post-modern rhetoric, Mandle explains how Rawls' radically democratic political views can work today.