Review of the book “Why an ideal theory of justice? and other Rawlsian essays”

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5007/1677-2954.2026.e111369

Keywords:

Rawls, ideal theory, Amartya Sen, abstraction, political theory

Abstract

In this review, I present and discuss the book Why an Ideal Theory of Justice? And Other Rawlsian Essays, by Professor Álvaro de Vita. In the book, Vita justifies and defends the role that idealism and abstraction play in contemporary political theory, engaging with Brazilian authors and responding to political theorists who take a more critical stance toward ideal theory.

References

ARISTÓTELES. “Poetics”. In: The basic works of Aristotle. Nova Iorque: The Modern Library, 2001.

BARROSO, J. Entre história, crítica e normatividade. BIB - Revista Brasileira De Informação Bibliográfica Em Ciências Sociais, n. 93, p. 1–28, 2020. DOI: http://doi.org/10.17666/bib9305/2020. Disponível em: https://bibanpocs.emnuvens.com.br/revista/article/view/514. Acesso em: 4 de maio de 2026.

SEN, Amartya. The ideia of justice. Cambridge (MA): Harvard University Press, 2009.

RAWLS, J. Justiça como equidade: Uma reformulação. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 2003.

RAWLS, J. Uma teoria da justiça. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 2008.

RAWLS, J. O liberalismo político. São Paulo: WMF Martins Fontes: 2011.

Published

2026-06-25

Issue

Section

Book Reviews