Abstract:

John Rawls’ conception of “justice” has stimulated ongoing discussions in the academic circle. Resituating Rawls in a genealogy of ideas, this article explores the intellectual traditions inherited by Rawls and illuminates affinities and differences between him and a group of thinkers including Hume, Kant, and Berlin. With an opposition to unmitigated ‘monism’, Rawls constructed his model of a well-ordered society based on the plurality of moral attitudes and the stability of just arrangements. Perhaps a better way to understand and develop Rawls’ “theory of justice” doesn’t merely lie in theoretical arguments advanced from a normative perspective. It also demands context-sensitive analysis. The applicability of the categories on offer needs to be surveyed, the shifting balance of forces must be assessed, the actual historical development of social transformation needs to be considered, and the politicization of social movements requires sociological and historical study. Only on that basis can we deepen our thoughts about the possibility of realizing the ideal of justice.

Key words: John Rawls, justice, history, normativity