Reconstructing Rawls's Law of Peoples

Abstract

In his recent article “The Law of Peoples”, John Rawls attempts to develop a theory of international justice. Paden contrasts “The Law of Peoples” with Rawls’s earlier work, “A Theory of Justice.” Paden reconstructs Rawls’s new theory, in a way which he claims is more consistent with “A Theory of Justice.” Paden finds Rawls’s new theory lacking in the degree to which it attempts to respond to communitarian criticisms, those that advocate a different theory of good than that of liberal societies. Paden examines the various flaws in “The Law of Peoples” and goes back to “A Theory of Justice” to state that all societies seek one good, that is, the protection of their just institutions. In so doing, Paden provides a more expansive view of the interests of societies, which, he argues, ultimately is more consistent with “A Theory of Justice,” conceptually simpler and avoids the flaws identified in the original argument.