The term ‘democracy’ is over 2000 years old, and yet, to this day, we still grapple with what a fair and just society really looks like. Daniel Chandler argues that justice isn’t just a question of new policies but rather philosophy. We need a new philosophy, a new vision, to transform our societies for the better. Chandler argues, though, that these ideas are hiding in plain sight: Rawls is the answer. In this article, he uses Rawlsian justice to propose new policies for political reform.
Excerpt from FREE AND EQUAL: A Manifesto for a Just Society, for The.Ink
Most citizens of the world’s rich democracies would agree that our societies are far from fair. Many would point to a familiar list of problems: a political system dominated by the rich; the profound influence that class, race and gender have on people’s opportunities; the enormously unequal distribution of money, power and social prestige; and climate catastrophe.
It’s all too easy to decry the state of politics and society today. What is harder to find is a coherent vision of what a better, fairer society would look like.
This isn’t just a question of new policies. We need a new philosophy – a vision of the common good that builds on the core values of liberal democracy, and which can inspire people to transform their societies for the better. But while politicians like Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher – the architects of ‘neoliberalism’ – could look to thinkers like Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek, who can progressives look to for inspiration today?
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