In this video Louis gives a run through of John Rawls' seminal text "A Theory of Justice" published in 1971. 

A Theory of Justice is a must-read for anyone interested in Anglo-American political theory. It spawned the liberal-communitarian debate which dominated the academy for twenty years and produced some of the most well-known names in political philosophy: Michael Sandel, Alasdair Macintyre, Charles Taylor and Michael Walzer. 

You've probably heard of the "veil of ignorance" and the "original position" - but just what are these conceptual devices and how do they serve Rawls' argument? Does Rawls succeed in defending welfare-state liberalism, or is his theory simply neoliberal apologia? Listen and find out!