Freedom is one of the main conditions for living well.

Religion and Thought Service of Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) – Mohammad Hassan Abolhassani; The book “The Expanse of Freedom and Justice (Reflections on the Views of John Rawls, Philosopher of Ethics, Peace, and Democracy)” has recently been published in 243 pages by Gam-e-No Publishing. The author of the book, Seyed Ali Mahmoudi, is a researcher and professor of political science who received his doctorate in this field from the Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies. This book shows the place and importance of Rawls’ philosophy in a general overview. For all those interested in Rawls’ philosophy, studying this book can be useful.

John Rawls was an American philosopher who made the greatest efforts in the twentieth century to analyze the concept of justice and how to implement it in society. His work titled “A Theory of Justice” is considered one of the most important political works of the twentieth century. “Justice as Fairness” and “Political Liberalism” are among his other works. Rawls lived as a philosopher during a time when several global crises were occurring; from World War II to the Cold War and the United States’ invasion of Vietnam. These conditions led Rawls to consider the real consequences of political theories, consequences that affect statesmen and citizens.

The book includes several important introductions and seven chapters. The introduction section includes these titles: Foreword, Research Methodology, Conceptual Analysis and Critical Evaluation, Hermeneutics based on Text and Context, Political Philosophy: Two Spheres of Theory and Practice, The Place of Freedom and Justice in Rawls’ Political Philosophy, Iranians and Rawls’ Ideas, The Problem of Translating Rawls’ Works, Research Organization. These initial sections provide the necessary context for entering the book and help us look at Rawls’ works from a common perspective with the author.

The main chapters of the book are: “John Rawls and the Rebirth of Political Philosophy”, “The Place of Freedom in Rawls’ Theory of Justice”, “The Philosophy of the Harmony of Freedom and Justice”, “The Place and Outcome of Critical Rationality”, “Legal and Peaceful Activism in Civil Disobedience”, “The Legitimacy of Defensive War in the Sphere of Pacifism”, “Contexts, Comprehensiveness and Ways to Achieve Democratic Peace”.

Seyed Ali Mahmoudi