THE IDEA OF A POLITICAL LIBERALISM contains 14 essays-- many by leading scholars-- critically examining the recent work of John Rawls. This is the first collection of its kind, and is essential reading for anyone interested in Rawls's "political, not metaphysical" interpretation of justice as fairness. Topics include: the distinction between reasonable and unreasonable persons and comprehensive doctrines, public reason and religious commitment, Rawls's idea of an "overlapping consensus," and the implications of political liberalism for constitutional and international law. A must read for any serious student of current political philosophy.