ABSTRACT
A Theory of Justice has been characterised as an attempt to resuscitate political theory by bringing back together an elaborated appreciation of what is both feasible and desirable in politics.1 It is argued that Rawls has produced a considered notion of justice with which we are intuitively in tune, being based on an uncontroversial moral individualism,2 that it will be good for every person. The same work has also been seen differently, as an attempt to promote a view about the universality of liberal concepts generally, about a particular concept of the person, including an asocial and autonomous nature, whether such individuals can be objective about the concept of the good they are claimed to pursue and whether the State can be neutral regarding notions of the good.3 This Chapter will explore these perspectives in this and his subsequent work, looking to identify any mythological implications. A principal reference point for this exploration is the infl uence of the moral, political thought of Kant, whose political philosophy Rawls sought to revive and whose thought permeates Rawls’ theoretical work.
