Author: Alex Masangu
St. Augustine University of Tanzania,
P.O. Box 307, Mwanza – Tanzania
Email: masanguag@hotmail.com
Abstract
A striving for a conception of reasonable political organisation presupposes an excellent understanding of the idea of public reason. Yes, such an idea concerns the fact of reasonable pluralism. Because such an idea is founded on political conceptions of justice, in its acquisition, the role of philosophy appears to be indispensable. Indeed, the question of what justice is, belongs distinctively to the realm of philosophical enquiry. This article examined the view that where the rule of political absurdity is ascertainable, a consideration of the idea of public reason proves to be a powerful rational device for identification of philosophical neediness, a necessary condition for acknowledgement of philosophy’s irreplaceable role in human development. Structurally, the argumentation begins with an introduction which briefly states the significance of Rawls’ account of the idea of public reason in any rigorous effort to enforce philosophy in human society. The introduction is followed by disclosure of Rawls’ account of the idea of public of reason. The article concludes that, for a formation of the rational political body, the advocacy of philosophy is plausibly mandatory.
Keywords: public reason, political absurdity, introduction to philosophy, political philosophy, philosophical education
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Suggested Citation
Masangu, A. (2020). John Rawls on the idea of public reason: an enquiry into a philosophical response to political absurdity. African Research Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 7(1), 177-189. Available online at http://arjess.org/social-sciences-research/john-rawls-on-the-idea-of-public-reason-an-enquiry-into-a-philosophical-response-to-political-absurdity.pdf
