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A Theory of Justice Revised Edition

by John Rawls (Author)
4 out of 5 stars 53 customer reviews
#1 Best Sellerin Law Practice
ISBN-13: 978-0674000780
ISBN-10: 0674000781
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Product Details

  • Series: Belknap
  • Paperback: 560 pages
  • Publisher: Belknap Press; Revised edition (September 30, 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0674000781
  • ISBN-13: 978-0674000780
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.4 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsWhy so many misconceptions?
By Vincent Poirier on February 27, 2006
Format: Paperback
I'm astonished at the tenor and number of negative reviews "A Theory of Justice" has garnered from the right. This is especially surprising because Rawls shares with American conservatives one fundamental principle: the inviolability of the individual.

A "Theory of Justice" is a technical work aimed at professional philosophers, political scientists, and constitutional law specialists. Nevertheless, the book is understandable by laymen, provided it is read as what it is, i.e. a technical work of moral philosophy and not as a political agenda. Rawls's simple and plain style also makes this book a relatively easy read.

I suspect that the rejection of Rawls by even the more thoughtful conservatives stems from a serious misunderstanding of utilitarianism, which Rawls savagely attacks from the start. Utilitarianism is the moral principle that the TOTAL welfare of a society is the highest value. In practice, the only measure of total welfare the government has is GDP, so that's what we maximize: GDP. This makes utilitarianism attractive to laissez-faire capitalist philosophies, and because Rawls attacks utilitarianism, both the left and the right imagine he is attacking markets, industry, and capitalism. The left have made him their angel, and so the right their demon.

Rawls makes no attack on capitalism, only on utilitarianism. He asserts the inviolability of the individual as society's primary moral principle and demonstrates that this is incompatible with utilitarianism. For example, under utilitarianism, it makes sense to take Bob's heart, give it to Stan, and to give his lungs to John. You've saved two lives by sacrificing one, so society is on the whole better off with two members (Stan and John) rather than just one (Bob).Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsJustice as Fairness
By D. Craig on February 18, 2002
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This is one of the most important books on social philosophy written in the last century. As the other mis-informed reviews illustrate, Rawls requires careful reading and a conviction to work through his arguments. Basically, Rawls tries to argue for a theory of Justice based on non-utilitarian principles. How can we have a Just Society that preserves individual rights and at the same time functions above the level of anarchy? Tilting too far one way results in a Communistic state that places the group above the individual. Tilting too far the other way results in a state that is a "war of all against all".
Rawls proposes that we arrive at a conception of Justice using minimal assumptions. He uses something called the "Veil of Ignorance" to derive his principles of Justice. This "Veil of Ignorance" assumes we would act in our own self-interest, but we don't know where in society we would end up. Given these two principles, people actint in their own self-interest but not knowing what place they might occupy in society, Rawls argues that we would come up with two principles of Justice; 1) each person has the most extensive basic liberties that are compatible for everyone having these liberties, and 2) social inequalities will be arranged so that they benefit everyone and such that we all have equal access to beneficial social positions.
(Some reviews here apparently feel that Rawls was trying to describe an historical situation with the Veil of Ignorance. I would suggest that they actually read Rawls.)
What Rawls is arguing is that taking a very minimal assumption about human nature (we rationally act in our own self interest) and assuming that no one knows his or her eventual social position, we will come up with these two principles of Justice (Justice as Fairness).Read more ›
4 Comments 214 of 231 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
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5.0 out of 5 starsJust Read It
By ctdreyer on May 15, 2004
Format: Paperback
Surely, A Theory of Justice is among the most important and influential texts in contemporary philosophy. And it is, of course, the central text in contemporary political philosophy. Want just a few reasons to think this is an important text that you ought to read? Here you go: Rawls develops and defends a new theory of justice, he provides a new way to extend some of the basic ideas in the social contract tradition, his text was crucial in resurrecting Kantian moral theory, his work has helped to bring constructivist meta-ethical positions back into prominence, the book develops some new and influential criticisms of utilitarianism, and it includes an explication of the method of reflective equilibrium and demonstrates how it can be applied in moral theory, etc.
This is a long, intricate, and densely argued book, and there's no hope of summarizing even its main claims in this review. Consequently, I'll simply aim to give a very sketchy account of the structure of his main argument here.
Rawls's theory is a theory of justice as it applies to the basic institutions of a single society. He calls his theory "justice as fairness." It is not that he thinks justice is simply fairness, or that a just society is a fair one. Rather, people choose principles of justice in a position that is supposed to be fair; their choices in this fair position determine the correct principles of justice. The principles of justice determine the nature of a just society; they apply to the basic structure of society--to its fundamental institutions.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 starsI don't care; I HATE it

This is neither a "theory" nor "justice." It is a simplistic attempt to justify socialism, redistribution, and the modern welfare state based on totally impossible... Read more

Published 5 days ago by White Rabbit
5.0 out of 5 starsA good book with utopic ideas of the society...

John Rawls is a good man and his book too. However, I think everyone's wearing a veil of ignorance has peepholes all over.

Published 3 months ago by Rosemary Lacy
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Excelent!!

Published 3 months ago by Esteban Paniagua Vega
5.0 out of 5 starsthe best book of john rawls

John rawls is probably the most influential political philosopher of the 21st century! no other political philosopher was able to extensively discuss the theory of justice without... Read more

Published 4 months ago by jerry bosch
5.0 out of 5 starsI am happy with my buy and this theory has inspired me ...

This is one of the most famous books relating to "justice" of all time. I am happy with my buy and this theory has inspired me to do further research based on this theory.

Published 9 months ago by Stephen Jansen
5.0 out of 5 starsBrilliant.

Natalie Schmidt knows nothing about philosophy. This is, simply put, one of the most brilliant pieces of philosophy in the modern era and maybe ever. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Scott Reed
5.0 out of 5 starsIt is certainly one of the best books I have ever read

A Theory of Justice is, without a doubt, one of the premier treatises on contemporary political philosophy. Read more

Published 11 months ago by McKinley Terry
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great Book, Great Theory

Published 12 months ago by SunAndShade
5.0 out of 5 starsA Theory of Justice is a must-read for people that ...

A Theory of Justice is a must-read for people that want to be up to date with the matters of justice.

Published 16 months ago by Cliente Amazon
1.0 out of 5 starshorribly written

I bought this book for my comprehensive exams and also because, after 6 years of studying political science and philosophy and hearing so much about Rawls, I was curious and... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Nathalie Schmidt

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