Rawls and His Critics
David A. Reidy, J.D., Ph.D.
Philosophy 400 and 590
807 McClung Tower
Sections 70577 and 70768
974-7210
12:40 - 1:55, TR
dreidy@utk.edu
College of Nursing 315
web.utk.edu/~dreidy
Course Description: John Rawls was undeniably the most important political
philosopher of the
20th Century. In this course we will undertake
a close study of the central issues,
arguments and idea(l)s animating Rawls's work.
Instead of reading Rawls's classic first
book, A Theory of Justice, or his second book, Political
Liberalism, we will read his final
book, Justice as Fairness: A Restatement.
In this work Rawls draws together the central
ideas and arguments of TJ and PL and many of his
articles, and with an eye toward
various criticisms presents them in what he takes
to be their soundest form. We will also
read many of the essays from the recently published
Cambridge Companion to Rawls
edited by Sam Freeman. Finally, we will likely
read a few articles, to be distributed in
class, taking up important lines of criticism of
Rawls's views, even in their final
articulation. Students should note that we
will not cover in this class lines of criticism to
which Rawls thought he adequately responded and
that are now generally regarded as of
little more than historical interest: e.g.,
Nozick's libertarian attack. Rather the focus will
be on Rawls's final statement of his own views (which
is responsive to the
aforementioned criticisms along with many others)
and on those lines of criticism to
which Rawls either did not respond or did not adequately
respond and that accordingly
remain of live interest in the philosophical debates.
Students should note also that we
will focus exclusively on Rawls's account of justice
within the state or well-defined
political community. We will not address his
work in the history of moral philosophy or
on international justice. Class meetings will
be devoted to lecture, student presentations,
and discussion.
Texts: John Rawls, Justice as Fairness: A Restatement, Harvard University
Press, 2001.
Samuel Freeman, ed., The
Cambridge Companion to Rawls, Cambridge University Press,
2003.
Select articles (see course schedule)
available as photocopies or online.
Course requirements: Regular attendance, preparation and participation.
Two shorter
philosophical essays (5-7 pages),
one in class presentation (including service as
discussion leader), and one
longer term paper (15-20 pages) due during the finals period.
No exams.
Grading: The two shorter essays will each count for 20% of your grade.
The in class presentation
(and service as discussion leader) will
count for 10%. The term paper will count for 40%.
Participation will count for
10%. Undergraduate and graduate students will complete the
same assignments. I will,
however, expect of graduate students work that meets higher
standards. Late papers
are graded down one letter grade for each day late; get your papers
in on time.
Students with Disabilities: Any student unable under standard classroom conditions
to
demonstrate his or her full abilities should
see me as soon as possible to discuss
reasonable accommodations.
Course Schedule
Week 1. Aug. 21: Introduction to Course.
Week 2. Aug. 26 & 28: Rawls, Justice as Fairness, pgs. 1-38.
Week 3. Sep. 2 & 4: Rawls, JF, pgs. 39-79.
Week 4. Sep. 9 & 11: Rawls, JF, pgs. 80-134
Week 5. Sep. 16 & 18: Rawls, JF, pgs. 135-179.
Week 6. Sep. 23 & 25: Rawls, JF, pgs. 180-202.
* Paper #1 Assigned.
Week 7. Sep. 30 & Oct. 2: Freeman, The Cambridge Companion to Rawls,
pgs. 1-85, Freeman’s
“Introduction” and Nagel’s chapter on “Rawls
and Liberalism.” Student Presentations.
* Paper #1 Due, Friday, Oct. 3, by 5:00
p.m., in 801 McClung Tower.
Week 8. Oct. 7 & Oct. 9: Freeman, CCR, pgs. 86-138 and 168-199,
Cohen’s “For a Democratic
Society” and Gutmann’s “Rawls on the Relationship
between Liberalism and
Democracy.” Student Presentations.
Week 9. Oct. 14: Freeman, CCR, pgs. 139-167, Scanlon’s “Rawls on Justification.”
Student
Presentation.
* Oct. 16, No Class, Fall Break.
Week 10. Oct. 21 & 23: Freeman, CCR, pgs. 200-276, van Parijs’s
“Difference Principles” and
Daniels’s “Democratic Equality: Rawls and
Complex Egalitarianism.” Student Presentations.
Week 11. Oct. 28 & 30: Peffer, “Marxist and Leftist Objections
to Rawls’s Theory of Justice: A
Critical Review,” Chapter Nine of Marxism,
Morality and Justice, Princeton University
Press, 1990, pgs. 361-415 (photocopies to be distributed
in class); and DiQuattro, “Rawls
and Left Criticism,” from Political Theory, v. 11, n.
1, 1983 (available online through
library’s electronic journals - JSTOR service).
Student Presentations.
* Paper #2 Assigned.
Week 12. Nov. 4 & 6: Freeman, CCR, pgs. 316-346, Dreben’s
“On Rawls and Political
Liberalism;” and Waldron, “Rawls’s Political
Liberalism,” Chapter Seven from Law and
Disagreement, Oxford University Press, 1999, pgs. 149-163
(photocopies to be
distributed in class). Student Presentations.
* Paper #2 Due, Friday, Nov. 7, by 5:00 p.m., in
801 McClung Tower.
Week 13. Nov. 11 & 13: Freeman, CCR, pgs. 368-425, Larmore’s
“Public Reason” and
Michelman’s “Rawls on Constitutionalism and
Constitutional Law.” Student
Presentations.
* Term Paper Assigned.
Week 14. Nov. 18 & 20: Freeman, CCR, pgs. 460-487, Mulhall’s and
Swift’s “Rawls and
Communitarianism” and Kymlicka’s “Liberal
Individualism and Liberal Neutrality,” from
Ethics, v. 99, n. 4, 1989 (available online through
library’s electronic journals - JSTOR
service). Student Presentations.
Week 15. Nov. 25: Freeman, CCR, pgs. 488-520, Nussbaum’s,
“Rawls and Feminism” and
Okin’s, “Political Liberalism, Justice and
Gender,” from Ethics, v. 105, n. 4, 1994
(available online through library’s electronic
journals - JSTOR service). Student
Presentations.
* Nov. 27, No Class, Thanksgiving Break.
Week 16. Dec. 2: Closing Conversation, Review, Course Evaluations.
Finals Week: * Term Paper Due* – Mon., Dec. 8, by 5:00 p.m., in 801
McClung Tower.