ESPF Colloquium, Hannes Kuch (Goethe University Frankfurt)

Title: Ideal Theory, the Sense of Justice and Collective Self-Transformation

Abstract:

One of the fundamental questions in political philosophy concerns assumptions about the sense of justice. When creating institutions and social orders, should we assume a strong sense of justice in individuals? Ideal theory, following John Rawls, argues that this is both possible and necessary, positing reasonable, autonomous persons who can subordinate private interests to moral reasoning, while realistic approaches highlight human irrationality and the inability to prioritize reason over selfish impulses.

The main claim of the talk is that there is a third option beyond ideal theory and realism: the ‘developmental perspective.’ It investigates the social conditions conducive to the development of the sense of justice. The talk unfolds a systematic argument through an interpretive engagement with John Rawls. In fact, it is Rawls, of all people, who takes the tasks of the developmental perspective very seriously. However, it is revealing how Rawls, in his in-depth analysis, smuggles in the assumption of a pre-given sense of justice through the back door. Yet in lesser-known parts of his work, Rawls offers clues on how to analyze institutions specifically in light of the task of nurturing a sense of justice in all of us, promoting what I call ‘practices of collective self-transformation.’