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Rawls's “Political” Philosophy and American Democracy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2013

George Klosko
George Klosko
Affiliation:
University of Virginia
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Abstract

John Rawls has recently argued that political philosophy can significantly contribute to making democratic societies stable. He seeks moral principles that can ground what he calls an overlapping consensus and argues that his well-known principles of justice can serve in this capacity. I criticize both Rawls's general claims about the role of political philosophy and his particular defense of the principles of justice. Both arguments commit Rawls to specific empirical claims about existing liberal societies that are highly questionable. In particular, the Kantian moral views that Rawls believes to be central to liberal culture are controverted by extensive empirical research on the actual beliefs of liberal citizens. Despite the problems with Rawls's arguments, I suggest that a rather different overlapping consensus appears to contribute to stable democracies. This centers on support of the political system rather than more substantive moral principles.

Type
Articles
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 87 , Issue 2 , June 1993 , pp. 348 - 359
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1993

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