James Rosenberg: Essays on John Rawls and Social Theory

A doctoral dissertation by James Rosenberg, Harvard University:

"Essays on John Rawls and Social Theory" (2024) 

Dissertation advisor: Michael Rosen.

Abstract:

"How does Rawlsian political philosophy relate to social theory? Rawls thought that principles of justice must be developed in light of social theory. I argue that his own social theory, that of society as a fair system of cooperation, is responsible for some of the limitations of the Rawlsian framework. The dissertation uses Rawls’s insight about the relationship between political philosophy and social theory to internally criticize Rawlsian political philosophy with respect to its capacity to diagnose and offer adequate prescriptions against the injustices it criticizes. Each of the chapters attempt to elaborate on Rawls’s own methodological thesis that political philosophy must be in dialogue with social theory."