Fifty Years of "A Theory of Justice: Influence and Legacy"

Abstract

In this preface, we briefly explain A Theory of Justice’s importance for political philosophy, which is the reason that justifies this collection. Adjunctively, we sketch in very broad brushstrokes some of the components of this theory: the Kantian turn, the rehabilitation of contract theory and the defense of egalitarian liberalism. Finally, we describe the articles of this collection. We distinguish three axes: Rawls’s legacy, philosophical influences on Rawls, and specific problems regarding Rawls’s philosophy.