John Rawls - Den moderne liberalismes fader

Dans 'Du Contrat Social', Rousseau théorise sur la manière d'établir une autorité politique légitime, compatible avec la liberté individuelle. Il introduit la notion de volonté générale, selon laquelle les lois doivent être établies par le peuple pour le bien commun. Cet ouvrage a influencé profondément les réformes politiques et les révolutions en Europe.

Published in 1689, 'Two Treatises of Government' is a seminal work by John Locke that critiques the divine right of kings and advocates for a government based on the consent of the governed. The first treatise refutes Robert Filmer's 'Patriarcha,' which argued for the divine right of kings, while the second treatise outlines Locke's theory of civil society, the state of nature, natural rights, and the social contract. Locke argues that legitimate governments derive their power from the consent of the people and that individuals have the right to rebellion if the government fails to protect their natural rights to life, liberty, and property. His ideas significantly influenced the American and French Revolutions and remain central to liberal political theory.

In 'A Theory of Justice,' John Rawls develops a moral theory of justice as fairness, which is an alternative to utilitarianism. The theory is based on the social contract approach and uses the concept of the original position and the veil of ignorance to derive two principles of justice. The first principle, the greatest equal liberty principle, ensures that each person has an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all. The second principle, which includes the difference principle and the equal opportunity principle, states that social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged and attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity. Rawls's theory aims to reconcile liberty and equality in a well-ordered society.

In this book, Francis Fukuyama posits that human history is moving towards a state of idealized harmony through the mechanisms of liberal democracy. He argues that liberal democracy is the final form of human government, driven by two powerful forces: the logic of modern science and the struggle for recognition. Fukuyama draws on the philosophical ideas of Hegel and Kojeve, suggesting that liberal democracy meets the economic and psychological needs of humanity, including the desire for recognition and dignity. The book explores the implications of this thesis, including the potential paradox that the satisfaction of basic needs might lead to a lack of outlets for human striving and recognition.

In 'Kritik der reinen Vernunft,' Kant explores the foundations of metaphysics and epistemology, specifically examining the nature and limits of human understanding, a priori knowledge, and the relationship between experience and reason. The work distinguishes between empirical knowledge derived from experience and a priori knowledge that exists independently of experience. Kant introduces critical concepts such as synthetic and analytical judgments and discusses the limitations of reason, particularly in the context of metaphysical inquiries. He argues that reason cannot provide knowledge of a world beyond the senses and that attempts to do so lead to contradictions and illusions.