John Rawls

John Bordley Rawls (February 21, 1921 – November 24, 2002) was an American moral, legal, and political philosopher. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential political philosophers of the 20th century. Rawls is best known for his book 'A Theory of Justice' published in 1971, which sparked a revival in normative political philosophy. His theory of 'justice as fairness' advocates for equal basic liberties, equality of opportunity, and prioritizing the least advantaged in society. Rawls's argument is based on the hypothetical scenario called the 'original position,' where individuals choose the principles of a just society without knowing their personal social position. He continued to develop his ideas in his later work, 'Political Liberalism.'