ABSTRACT
In 1971, John Rawls released his masterpiece A Theory of Justice. This book aims to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of this book from a perspective, which has rarely been applied to the philosopher’s thought, namely that of the “common good.” The introduction lays out some of the central aspects of the ‘complicated’ relationship between the concept of the common good and Rawlsian theory, which emerged in particular in the so-called communitarian critique of liberalism. Contrary to this criticism, the chapter highlights that Rawls outlined a specific interpretation of the common good for his well-ordered society – a common good that is inextricably linked to justice and the interests that the members of a community can publicly welcome by virtue of their status as citizens. Presenting the contributions of this collective work, the author summarizes how referring to justice as the frame of reference for the common good opens the door to other values and concepts, which, although connected to justice itself, have much more substantive features than those acknowledged by critics of Rawls.
