ABSTRACT
John Rawls is discussed in this chapter as one of the most important political theorists in the twentieth century, particularly for the political theory of justice as fairness at the heart of contemporary discussions of civil society and liberal democracy. In A Theory of Justice, Rawls’s concept of justice as fairness is designed to secure basic liberties and opportunities for all citizens, including those who have been subject to forms of iniquitous discrimination. In another significant work, Political Liberalism, Rawls revamps his concept of justice in a way that makes it possible for diverse and often contradictory ways of life to flourish within the context of a stable civil society. In both works, Rawls wants to show how his theory of justice defends continued and long-term support for the basic institutions and principles of a constitutional liberal democracy.
