LSE Conference on Justification and Practice in Contemporary Liberalism

LSE Department of Government Conference
Justification and Practice in Contemporary Liberalism: Critical Perspectives
Friday April 30, 2010
London School of Economics

The relationship between theories of justice and existing social practices has become a shared focus of concern for analytical liberal political philosophers and theorists working within the Frankfurt School tradition of critical social theory. Liberal political philosophers have taken inspiration from critical theory at the same time as critical theorists have developed the approaches of John Rawls and T.M. Scanlon by drawing on the discourse theory of Jürgen Habermas. In this one-day conference four prominent theorists working at the intersection of liberal political philosophy and critical social theory will critically examine points of overlap and unresolved tensions between these two traditions and whether combining insights from both can inform contemporary philosophical and political debates.

Speakers:

Kenneth Baynes (Syracuse University):
Scanlonian Constructivism

Gordon Finlayson (University of Sussex):
Justification and Legitimacy

Rainer Forst (University of Frankfurt):
Constructivist Justification of Human Rights

Andrea Sangiovanni (King's College London):
In What Sense, if any, is Justice Practice-dependent?

Places are limited. To register, or for further information, please contact Dr. Katrin Flikschuh or Mr. James Gledhill, LSE Department of Government.

(Thanks to James Gledhill for the information!).

Reminder:
LSE Dialogue on "The Habermas-Rawls Dispute Reconsidered" on March 11, 2010, 12.30-2.00 p.m.