Single Idea 21137

[catalogued under 24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 1. A People / c. A unified people]

Full Idea

Rawls rejected the cosmopolitan extension of his theory because he thought it failed to respect the political autonomy of 'peoples', which was his term of art for societies or political communities.

Gist of Idea

Rawls rejected cosmopolitanism because it doesn't respect the autonomy of 'peoples'

Source

report of John Rawls (The Law of Peoples [1999], p.115-8) by Andrew Shorten - Contemporary Political Theory 09

Book Reference

Shorten,Andrew: 'Contemporary Political Theory' [Palgrave 2016], p.267


A Reaction

Interesting that you might well start with the concept of 'a people', prior to some sort of social contract, but end up with rather alarming conflicts or indifference between rival peoples. Why should my people help in the famine next door?