by Joshua Cohen - undifferentiated
First published 2010
This volume presents two previously unpublished religious writings by philosopher John Rawls. The centerpiece is his 1942 undergraduate senior thesis on theological ethics, written when Rawls held strong religious convictions just before entering military service. The work examines concepts of sin, faith, and moral community through a theological lens. A second text from 1997 traces how Rawls abandoned orthodox religious beliefs during World War II. Joshua Cohen and Thomas Nagel provide context connecting these early religious ideas to Rawls's later secular philosophy. Robert Merrihew Adams situates the thesis within broader theological traditions. The collection reveals how Rawls's youthful engagement with religious questions shaped his mature thinking about justice, morality, and the separation of religion from politics.
Genres: philosophy, christian, religion, biography-memoir, theology, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic, coming-of-age, philosophical
Period: 1942, 1997, World War II
288 pages · Paperback · Harvard University Press