Liberal Legitimacy
The Justification of Political Power in the Work of John Rawls
Published on 3. September 2020
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-5099-4600-6 (ISBN)
Description
How does the idea of public justification and adjacent concepts figure in the work of John Rawls? This book offered a detailed study which allows for an interpretation of how A Theory of Justice and Political Liberalism converge and diverge. It also offers a systematic appraisal of the different strands and genealogy of legitimacy theory, both descriptive and normative. In so doing, it brings a fresh new perspective to this important element of Rawls's theory.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
419 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5099-4600-6 (9781509946006)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Fabian Wenner is Researcher at the Center for the Advanced Study in Bioethics at the University of Muenster and Research Assistant at the University of Muenster.
Content
Introduction
Thinking about legitimacy
The liberal perspective on legitimacy
The challenge of pluralism and public justification
Legitimacy as public justification in Rawls's work
The structure of the book
Part I - Liberal legitimacy in context
1. The concept of legitimacy
1.1 The elements of political power
1.2 Concepts and conceptions of legitimacy
1.3 Empirical conceptions of legitimacy
1.4 Normative (especially liberal) conceptions of legitimacy
1.5 Conclusion of the chapter
2. Liberal legitimacy and public justification
2.1 Two ideas of consent
2.2 Voluntarist accounts and their shortcomings
2.3 Hypothetical agreement and contractualism
2.4 Legitimacy as public justification
2.5 Conclusion of the chapter
Part II: Liberal legitimacy in a Rawlsian framework
3. Justice and legitimacy before the political turn
3.1 The nature of justification and reflective equilibrium
3.2 The contractualist argument for justice as fairness
3.3 Democratic politics and legitimacy in Theory
3.4 The stability of a well-ordered society as a justificatory condition
3.5 Conclusion of the chapter
4. The challenge of reasonable disagreement
4.1 Reasonable disagreement and the burdens of judgment
4.2 Reasonable disagreement and the fundamentals of Theory
4.3 The problems with reasonable disagreement and pluralism
4.4 Conclusion of the chapter
5. Liberal legitimacy in Political Liberalism
5.1 The political conception of justice
5.2 (Un)Reasonable citizens and the limits of public justification
5.3 The role of overlapping consensus
5.4 Public reason and the legitimate exercise of political power
5.5 Conclusion of the chapter
6. Beyond legitimacy as public justification
6.1 The duties of citizens who reject political liberalism
6.2 The normative authority of partially illegitimate legislation
6.3 The political and philosophical status of political liberalism
6.4 Conclusion of the chapter
Thinking about legitimacy
The liberal perspective on legitimacy
The challenge of pluralism and public justification
Legitimacy as public justification in Rawls's work
The structure of the book
Part I - Liberal legitimacy in context
1. The concept of legitimacy
1.1 The elements of political power
1.2 Concepts and conceptions of legitimacy
1.3 Empirical conceptions of legitimacy
1.4 Normative (especially liberal) conceptions of legitimacy
1.5 Conclusion of the chapter
2. Liberal legitimacy and public justification
2.1 Two ideas of consent
2.2 Voluntarist accounts and their shortcomings
2.3 Hypothetical agreement and contractualism
2.4 Legitimacy as public justification
2.5 Conclusion of the chapter
Part II: Liberal legitimacy in a Rawlsian framework
3. Justice and legitimacy before the political turn
3.1 The nature of justification and reflective equilibrium
3.2 The contractualist argument for justice as fairness
3.3 Democratic politics and legitimacy in Theory
3.4 The stability of a well-ordered society as a justificatory condition
3.5 Conclusion of the chapter
4. The challenge of reasonable disagreement
4.1 Reasonable disagreement and the burdens of judgment
4.2 Reasonable disagreement and the fundamentals of Theory
4.3 The problems with reasonable disagreement and pluralism
4.4 Conclusion of the chapter
5. Liberal legitimacy in Political Liberalism
5.1 The political conception of justice
5.2 (Un)Reasonable citizens and the limits of public justification
5.3 The role of overlapping consensus
5.4 Public reason and the legitimate exercise of political power
5.5 Conclusion of the chapter
6. Beyond legitimacy as public justification
6.1 The duties of citizens who reject political liberalism
6.2 The normative authority of partially illegitimate legislation
6.3 The political and philosophical status of political liberalism
6.4 Conclusion of the chapter