Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2012

Department

Political Science

Abstract

G.A. Cohen argues that Rawlsian constructivism mistakenly conflates principles of justice with optimal rules of regulation, a confusion that arises out of how Rawls has us think about justice. I use the concepts/conceptions distinction to argue that while citizens may reasonably disagree about the substance and demands of justice, some principles convergence may be possible: we can agree upon regulative principles consistent with justice, as each of us understands it. Rawlian constructivism helps us find that principled convergence, and this too is a conception of justice.

Comments

This article was originally published in Socialist Studies, 8(1): 164-172. © 2012 The Author

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