Political Theory

Liberty and Justice: Rawls and Differing Perspectives

ABSTRACT

The principal aim of this colloquium was the examination and exploration of liberty through a better understanding and knowledge of the concept of justice. This conference was designed to achieve that understanding by exploring justice and its relationship to liberty from a number of perspectives. First, the groundbreaking and highly influential work of John Rawls was examined. Second, two critiques of Rawls’s work, by Robert Nozick and James Buchanan, were studied. Finally, three alternative views of justice (from James Buchanan, Robert Nozick, and F. A. Hayek) were discussed.

READING LIST

Conference Readings

Buchanan, James M. The Collected Works of James M. Buchanan, Volume 17: Moral Science and Moral Order. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, Inc., 2001.

Hayek, Friedrich. Law, Legislation, and Liberty. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd., 1982.

Nozick, Robert. Anarchy, State, and Utopia. New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1974.

Rawls, John. A Theory of Justice. Cambridge: The Belknap Press, 1971, 1999.

Rawls, John. Justice as Fairness: A Restatement. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 2001.