Political Ideas – John Rawls

About this Course

About the Course

This course explores the political philosophy of John Rawls (1921-2002). We begin with some biographical information on Rawls, highlighting his importance and influence. This is encapsulated by Rawls’s conservative contemporary Robert Nozick’s statement that ‘Political philosophers now must either work within Rawls’s theory or explain why not’ – a testament to his enduring relevance today. In the second lecture we outline the key assumptions and basic concepts underpinning Rawls’s theory, including that a democratic society is a necessary precondition for a functional theory of justice, and citizens are by default ‘free and equal’. In the third lecture, we turn to Rawls’s two principles of justice. Here, we encounter some more key concepts, including the famous ‘veil of ignorance’ and the notion of ‘reflective equilibrium’. In the fourth lecture, we reckon with Rawls’s Political Liberalism. We confront for the first time the ‘inescapable’ fact of reasonable pluralism, and the difficulty it presents for citizens attempting to resolve the ‘deeply disputed questions’ of political philosophy. Then, in our fifth and final lecture, we explore some criticisms of Rawls (including those made by Robert Nozick) and his responses. This is an engaging course full of challenging, high-level concepts, explained in an accessible and neatly-structured way by Professor Thom Brooks.

About the Lecturer

Professor Thom Brooks is an award-winning author, columnist, policy advisor and public speaker. He is Professor of Law and Government at Durham Law School, and has held visiting appointments at Columbia University, Harvard Law School, the University of Oxford, and Yale Law School. He appears frequently on television, radio and in print media with 2,000+ media appearances as a highly sought after commentator and expert. His general research interests are in ethics, law and public policy, and he is the UK’s leading expert on Britain's ‘Life in the UK’ citizenship test. His most recent published works include ‘The Trust Factor: Essays on the Current Political Crisis and Hope for the Future’ and ‘Climate Change Ethics for an Endangered World’.