The Habermas-Rawls Debate

Just at the moment when the Habermas-Rawls debate seemed to evanesce from the sight of the intellectual public, this brilliant book proves this first impression to be false: Gordon Finlayson succeeds in demonstrating with stupendous lucidity and admirable acuteness how topical the questions are that the two philosophers had discussed in their exchange on how best to conceive of the democratic principle of social equality. My guess is that it will be impossible in the near future to tackle normative questions within political philosophy without consulting this book. -- Axel Honneth, Jack C. Weinstein Professor of the Humanities, Columbia University In a series of reviews and comments that spanned the Atlantic Ocean, the debate between Jürgen Habermas and John Rawls represents one of those rare moments of dialogue between Continental and Anglo-American political thought. It marks a pivotal chapter in the history of modern philosophy, not because it reached any definitive resolution, but chiefly because it served as the occasion for mutual criticism and raised challenging questions for both political liberalism and critical theory alike. With uncommon clarity and without the least hint of partisanship, James Gordon Finlayson has written a superb and illuminating exposition of this philosophical encounter. -- Peter E. Gordon, Amabel B. James Professor of History and Faculty Affiliate in Philosophy, Harvard University Finlayson provides an exhaustive, rigorous, and crystal-clear reconstruction and analysis of the Habermas-Rawls debate that highlights its philosophical stakes and ongoing relevance. A must read for anyone interested in the work of these two giants of contemporary moral and political philosophy. -- Amy Allen, Liberal Arts Professor of Philosophy and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Penn State University This book is not only a careful reconstruction of the intellectual exchange between Habermas and Rawls, arguably the two most important figures of contemporary political philosophy. It is also a deep reflection on the philosophical foundations of liberal democracy in a postmetaphysical age. A champion of neither but a scrupulous scholar of both Habermas and Rawls, Finlayson provides an analysis of this important debate that is exhaustive and to my mind spot on. -- Simone Chambers, University of California, Irvine This will certainly be the go-to resource on this debate for anyone studying social or political philosophy in the future. Finlayson is the world’s foremost expert on the Habermas-Rawls exchange. He is also, in my opinion, the best 'analytic' Habermas scholar in the world. After reading this book, I’m not sure if there is anything left to be said on the topic; it’s all here. -- Joseph Heath, University of Toronto This book should quickly establish itself as the definitive account of the debate. It is lucid and penetrating, drilling deeply into both the inner workings of the theories that serve as the debate's backdrop, as well as the parries and thrusts of the exchange itself. * Political Theory * A well-informed and detailed account of the exchange between Habermas and Rawls about questions of political justice and legitimacy. -- Wilfried Hinsch, Universität zu Köln * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews * Finlayson’s deep engagement with this debate has much to offer...[an] excellent study. -- Kenneth Baynes, Syracuse University * Contemporary Political Theory * Finlayson has written a detailed and illuminating analysis of the debate between Habermas and Rawls...the book is essential reading for anyone interested in modern political philosophy. * Ethical Perspectives * Takes the views of each philosopher on a range of contested issues as an opportunity to explore the views of the other. * Review of Politics * The book makes an important contribution to the field by drawing on Rawls’s and Habermas’s criticisms of each other’s theories to develop a clear, in-depth interpretation of both theories, using each to illuminate the other. -- J. Donald Moon * Cercles *