John Rawls’s Life and Thought
John Bordley Rawls, born on February 21, 1921, in Baltimore, Maryland, was one of the most influential political philosophers of the 20th century. He grew up in a well-educated family; his father was a lawyer, and his mother was an advocate for women’s suffrage. Rawls experienced tragedy early in life, losing two of his younger brothers to illnesses that he inadvertently transmitted, a heartbreak that profoundly shaped his sense of morality and compassion.
Rawls attended Princeton University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1943. Shortly thereafter, he joined the U.S. Army during World War II and served in the Pacific theatre. His wartime experiences, including his witnessing of the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima, deeply influenced his worldview. These events reinforced his commitment to addressing questions of justice and fairness in a world so often marked by suffering and inequality. After the war, Rawls returned to academia, initially pursuing theology but eventually shifting his focus to philosophy. He earned his Ph.D. from Princeton in 1950, writing his dissertation on the concept of moral worth.
The time when Rawls began his academic career was a period of significant change and re-evaluation in Western philosophy. He emerged during the mid-20th century, when analytic philosophy dominated academic discussions in the United States and the United Kingdom. This was a time when philosophers sought to apply rigorous logical analysis to philosophical problems, distancing themselves from prior traditions of speculative or metaphysical inquiry. Within this intellectual landscape, moral and political philosophy had received comparatively less attention, overshadowed by developments in epistemology, philosophy of language, and philosophy of science.
Rawls’s career unfolded against the backdrop of significant societal and political shifts. The post-war global order was marked by decolonization, heightened Cold War tensions, and the civil rights movement in the United States. Intellectuals were grappling with the moral questions posed by fascism, totalitarianism, and the Holocaust, as well as the challenges of achieving social justice in liberal democracies. Political philosophy faced new demands, as traditional frameworks such as utilitarianism and Marxism were increasingly scrutinized for their limitations in addressing issues of rights, equality, and fairness.
Rawls took up academic posts at several prestigious institutions, including Princeton, Cornell University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), before joining the faculty at Harvard University in 1962. At Harvard, he taught for over three decades, mentoring generations of students who would go on to make significant contributions to philosophy and political theory. His ability to combine rigorous analytic methods with his profound concern for moral and political problems earned him widespread respect and admiration.
John Rawls lived through a time of monumental philosophical development and societal transformation. The period from the mid-20th century to the late 20th century was characterized by debates around liberalism, communitarianism, and critiques of capitalism, as well as the rise of movements addressing civil rights, gender equality, and distributive justice. His work reflected and responded to these social and intellectual currents without becoming reductively partisan or bound by specific political ideologies of his era.
Throughout his life, Rawls remained both modest and intensely committed to his work. His personal life was marked by quiet reflection and a deep dedication to his family. He married Margaret Fox in 1949, and the couple had four children together. Despite receiving numerous accolades, including the Schock Prize for Logic and Philosophy and the National Humanities Medal, Rawls avoided the limelight and rarely engaged in public political debates. He passed away on November 24, 2002, at the age of 81, leaving behind a legacy that transformed the landscape of political philosophy and inspired countless scholars and activists to rethink questions of justice and moral reasoning.
John Rawls’s biography is intrinsically linked to the historical context of his time. His life and work were shaped by the devastation of the Second World War, the trauma of the atomic age, and the ethical dilemmas posed by modern liberal democracies. While he sought to address universal philosophical questions, his intellectual project was in dialogue with the enduring challenges of his own historical period, offering a framework that continues to resonate in discussions of justice and fairness today.
Key Ideas in John Rawls’s Philosophy
- John Rawls’ Philosophy and equal basic liberties
- John Rawls’ Philosophy and institutions of justice
- John Rawls’ Philosophy and justice as fairness
- John Rawls’ Philosophy and moral arbitrariness
- John Rawls’ Philosophy and overlapping consensus
- John Rawls’ Philosophy and political liberalism
- John Rawls’ Philosophy and public reason
- John Rawls’ Philosophy and reflective equilibrium
- John Rawls’ Philosophy and the difference principle
- John Rawls’ Philosophy and the original position
- John Rawls’ Philosophy and the social contract