NTA UGC/NET/SET/JRF Political Science Paper 2 - 2024, 2nd Edition, Includes 2023 Solved Papers

CHAPTER 16

John Rawls (1921–2002)

INTRODUCTION

John Rawls (or John Bordley Rawls) was an American Political Thinker. He belongs to the era of Contemporary Political Thought. His theory of justice once again revived the normative perspective in Political Theory. The application of deontology in combination with the social contract methodology made him the prince of contemporary political thought. His difference principle in justice theory revolutionised the idea of affirmative action and positive discrimination by the State. He can be considered as a modern liberal or social liberal and even an egalitarian thinker based on his ideological orientation. He died on 27 November 2002.

THEORY OF JUSTICE

In ‘A Theory of Justice,’ John Rawls started with ...