Routledge John Rawls and the History of Political Thought Book

Explore the deep intellectual roots of one of the most important political philosophers of the 20th century. In this work, Jeffrey Bercuson examines the often unrecognized influences of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel on John Rawls. While many scholars focus on the deep connection between Rawls and Immanuel Kant, this book argues that a Kantian interpretation of justice as fairness does not provide the full picture. By drawing on Rawls's own Lectures on the History of Moral Philosophy and his Lectures on the History of Political Philosophy, Bercuson provides a new perspective on the development of political thought. This text is essential for students and scholars looking to understand how the Rousseauvian and Hegelian heritage shaped the doctrine of justice as fairness. It offers a necessary expansion of the existing academic conversation regarding Rawlsian theory and its historical foundations.