A Theory of Justice

⚖The case for it

Behind the 'veil of ignorance' (not knowing your race, class, gender, or talents) what society would you design? Rawls' answer: one that maximizes the position of the least advantaged. The most influential work of political philosophy in the 20th century. It single-handedly revived social contract theory. You don't have to agree with his conclusions to recognize that his thought experiment is devastating.

— the canon

✕The case against

Rawls writes like a committee with one member. Nearly six hundred dry, qualification-laden pages to deliver an argument the famous thought experiment states in two. The original position has been under siege from every direction since 1971 (would parties really choose maximin?), and the book's responses are buried in numbered sections you will not enjoy excavating. Foundational, and a slog.

— the honest librarian