Abstract
This article aims to examine a certain mode to practice political theory that characterizes the theoretical perspective that, in broad terms, can be called “Rawlsian justice”. Firstly, and using a term coined by Ian Shapiro, it is argued that normative political theory of the Rawlsian variety is essentially “issue-oriented”. Secondly, three controversial issues that exemplify that methodological feature are examined: how to conceive the cultivation and strengthening of citizens’ sense of justice in a democratic society; the normative metric that is appropriate to social justice; and the issue of the supposed excessive idealization of normative political theory in the Rawlsian orientation. The idea is not only to highlight a certain mode to practice political theory but also to show the resources available to Rawlsian justice to deal, from its own point of view, with objections addressed to it in these three areas of public and theoretical debate.
Keywords:
Normative Political Theory; Rawlsian Justice; Sense of Justice; Metric of Social Justice; Ideal Theory