Home / Quotes / Quote by John Rawls

Quote by John Rawls

“Now the good of political life is a great political good. It is not a secular good specified by a comprehensive doctrine like those of Kant or Mill. You could characterize this political good as the good of free and equal citizens recognizing the duty of civility to one another: the duty to give citizens public reasons for one's political actions.”

Quote by John Rawls

Author

John Rawls (February 21, 1921 - November 24, 2002) was an influential American philosopher, known for his contributions to political philosophy, particularly his theories on justice, freedom, and equality. His work, 'A Theory of Justice,' is considered a classic in the field of political philosophy and has had a profound impact on the late 20th-century discourse on these issues. more

You May Also Like

“Of course, we know that not everyone agrees with assisted suicide, but people might agree that one has the right to it, even if they're not themselves going to exercise it.”

People Ifs Knows Might Courses Exercise Agree Suicide Assisted Suicide

Book:Collected Papers

Source: Collected Papers

“A lot of names in America and Europe have their roots in Latin and Greek words. A lot of them go back to archetypes and their stories.”

Stories America Names Europe Roots Greek Latin Archetype Latin And Greek

Author:Maynard James Keenan

“The idea of public reason has to do with how questions should be decided, but it doesn't tell you what are the good reasons or correct decisions.”

Should Ideas Reason Decision Decided

Book:Collected Papers

Source: Collected Papers

“Public reason arguments can be good or bad just like other arguments.”

Reason Argument Be Good

Author:John Rawls

“What's important is that people give the kinds of reasons that can be understood and appraised apart from their particular comprehensive doctrines: for example, that they argue against physician-assisted suicide not just by speculating about God's wrath or the afterlife, but by talking about what they see as assisted suicide's potential injustices.”

“The idea of public reason isn't about the right answers to all these questions, but about the kinds of reasons that they ought to be answered by.”

Kind Ideas Reason Answers Ought Right Answers

Author:John Rawls

“The question is, we have a particular problem. How many religions are there in the United States? How are they going to get on together? One way, which has been the usual way historically, is to fight it out, as in France in the sixteenth century. That's a possibility.”

Way Has Beens States Problem Together Fighting United United States Century Possibility Particular One Way France Usual

Book:Collected Papers

Source: Collected Papers

“How did Madison get separation through Virginia and later Congress? The Baptists, the Presbyterians, and the smaller sects hated Jefferson; to them he was a secularist of the worst kind. But Madison could get Jefferson's bill passed because the Baptists, the Presbyterians, and smaller sects who were excluded in New England and in the South got together for their own protection.”

Kind Together Worst England Bills South Congress Protection Separation Hated Virginia Baptists Sects Excluded New England Madison Presbyterians

Book:Collected Papers

Source: Collected Papers

“People can make arguments from the Bible if they want to. But I want them to see that they should also give arguments that all reasonable citizens might agree to.”

People Ifs Want Giving Should Might Citizens Argument Agree Reasonable

Book:Collected Papers

Source: Collected Papers

“If you compare the United States with Europe, my view is that what happened in Europe is that the church became deeply distrusted by people, because it sided with the monarchs. It instituted the Inquisition and became part of the repressive state apparatus. That never happened here. We don't have that history.”

People Ifs States Church United Views United States Happened Europe Compare Monarchs Inquisition

Book:Collected Papers

Source: Collected Papers