Critical Assessments Leading Political Philosophers â€Free Samples

Question: Discuss About The Critical Assessments Of Leading Political? Answer: Introduction John Rawls was arguably the most radical political philosopher of the twentieth century. Apart from his book, A Theory of Justice that he wrote in 1971 he also wrote many influential articles in the 1950s and 1960s that shaped Anglo-American political and moral philosophy on substantive problems. In the book, A Theory of Justice, Rawls, articulates and defends the vision of egalitarian liberalism by revitalizing the social-contract tradition(Maffettone, 2011). Rawls contribution to justice and fairness through his theory of justice plays a critical role in shaping the political philosophy in the twentieth century. In his theory, Rawls develops principles of justice to govern the modern social order. The theory goes further to establish a framework that observes and lays emphasis on the importance of the society that embraces political and personal liberalities, free and equal persons, cooperative arrangements and equal opportunity that benefits many and the marginalized people in the society. Based on the Rawls Theory of Justice principles, this essay holds that John Rawls Theory of Justice is widely recognized as the most influential work on the political philosophy in the twentieth century. Besides, the Rawls' work has continued to be influential in the field of economics, political science, law, and ethics. From the above observations, it is evident that John Rawls is the most contemporary political philosopher of the twentieth century. According to Jerry Cohen, the Rawls Theory of Justice Book is the third most important book in the world after Platos Politeia and Hobbes Leviathan(Kukathas, 2013). This argument makes it clear that the Rawls' justice theory is not only significant in the twentieth century but also in the current century. First, this essay explains the influence of the John Rawls' work in the 20th century in reference to the sad political philosophy that existed in the mid-20th century. This argument can be linked to the words of Isaiah Berlin in 1961 who depicted that no commanding work of political philosophy appeared in the 20th century(Brooks Nussbaum, 2015) Berlin went further to ask whether political theory still existed. The theorists appeared to have limited research in the field of philosophy and therefore, their work largely revolved around on exploring on que stions such as; What is right?, What is liberty?, and What is freedom?(Kukathas, 2013) However, this was a different case for Rawls. Instead of just of explaining what freedom, liberty, and right is, Rawls also illustrated which rights, freedoms, and liberties people ought to have in the society. Moreover, against all the odds of the time, Rawls was able to provide a theory consistently and systematically that helped to address the three major questions that other political philosophers were unable to unravel. Secondly, why Rawls work is arguably the most influential in the 20th century is because he convincingly disputed the utilitarianism concept. Research shows that until the 20th century the political philosophy debate was dominated by 19th political theories especially by John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham(Maffettone, 2011). However, Rawls perceived that the political system ought to have organized economic and political institutions in a manner that resulted to wellbeing in the society or maximization of the total utility(Voice, 2011). It is out of this observation whereby Rawls argued that utilitarianism needed to be renounced. According to Rawls, the utilitarianism theory permits the reduction of the wellbeing or utility of certain individuals in the society to benefit other persons and the end the total well-being or utility in the society increases(O'Neill Williamson, 2012). Rawls argued that utilitarianism concept allows the society to thrive by allowing some persons to use ot hers to benefit themselves. Ideally, with utilitarianism in place, it is very hard to understand what is happing with economic and political institutions(O'Neill Williamson, 2012). For example, it allows people to work at meager wages and poor working conditions so that millions of others can be provided with cheap products. Rawls refuted this theory and advocated for the alternative theory that will put into consideration equal liberties and rights and fair opportunities based on the economic and social rights to wealth and income. Rawls said any just society should embrace these rights and liberties as the major governing principles and they cannot be bypassed to achieve common goals or maximize utility. The Rawls criticisms and views on the utilitarianism theory gained a lot of attention from different sectors of the society. Additionally, political systems in different nations especially European continent started to realize and embrace the importance of the Rawls Theory of Justice. The third reason why the Rawls work was greatly influential in the 20th century can be linked to spreading of his work outside the academic discipline(Weithman, 2011). The policymakers, as well as the society at large, started employing the Rawls principles of the Theory of Justice. Rawls made people believe that society should be judged based on how it treats its worst-off members. These are people who are at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder(Voice, 2011). The application of cost-benefit analysis declined among the policymakers, and therefore, they were also concerned about the welfare, opportunities and the rights of the worst-off members of the society. Rawls on influencing people on the importance of appreciating social justice advocated that the marginalized in the society also ought to be well-off. Rawls supported his argument based on the two folds. First, Society is an association whereby every member takes part and therefore, all members should have a fair share of the opportunities in the society. Secondly, Rawls attributed the existing inequalities in wealth and opportunities in the society to luck rather to individual responsibility. Therefore, political, social and economic institutions should ensure the disadvantage in the society are as well-off as possible. Conclusions Rawls Theory of Justice, was very influential in the 20th century. It brought about social, political and economic reforms in the institutions. The above three reasons extensively explain why his work was significant in the 20th century. The Rawls principles of A Theory of Justice urges society to embrace fairness by respecting the rights of all and ensuring that equal opportunities are available to all members. He, therefore, rejects the utilitarianism theory by claiming that it allows some persons to use others for their benefits. He calls for the fair society where all have the equal chances for succes. References Brooks, T., Nussbaum, M. (2015). Rawls's Political Liberalism, Columbia University Press.: New York. Kukathas, C. (2013). John Rawls: Critical Assessments of Leading Political Philosophers. London:: Routledge. Maffettone, S. (2011). Rawls: An Introduction, London:: Polity. O'Neill, M., Williamson, T. (2012). Property-Owning Democracy: Rawls and Beyond. Chichester: John Wiley Sons. Voice, P. (2011). Rawls Explained: From Fairness to Utopia. Chicago: Open Court. Weithman, P. (2011). Why Political Liberalism? On John Rawls's Political Turn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.