Give a critical account of Michael Walzer’s critique of John Rawls’ defense of universalism. In your answer, focus in particular on the significance of culture in Walzer’s conception of justice in the liberal state
, INTRODUCTION
Liberalism was discovered by English Philosopher, John Locke (16232-1704), who developed a
theory of political authority based on natural individual rights and the consent of the governed.
Liberalism is a political and economic doctrine that emphasises individual autonomy, equality of
opportunity and the protection of individual rights, it is originally against the state and private
economic actors. (Britannica.com). Liberalism is founded upon the basic premise that human
beings are unique, autonomous individuals with different interests and desires and views of life.
Given this natural human diversity' liberalism maintains that each individual person should be
allowed the maximum freedom to pursue his or her idea of the good life, (Foley Andrew, 1996)
BODY
Charles Mills is one of the philosophers that pointed out that liberalism has race problems in his
theory about racial contract rests upon three claims;
White supremacy both local and global existed and has existed for many years.
White supremacy both local and global, white supremacy should be a thought itself as a
political system.
As a political system, white supremacy can illuminatingly be theorised based on a
contract between white people.
Mills clarifies that the world and the racist agendas between black and white people is shaped
how Western philosophers wanted the world to be, to think of it in the earlier centuries white
philosophers were the ones that came up with these theorise that we people use today to study
history and how the world is today according to those theories, therefore political philosophers
created their theories according to race and divide the people. (Mills, 1997; 7). White people
associated with spirit, mindfulness and rationality, in contrast people were segregated as white
and non- white, non-whites were deemed as unsuitable if not incapable of forming or fully
entering into a body (Mills 1997; 53). In a 2018, Mail & Guardian article Mckaiser stated that,
you cannot be a radical black thinker and be committed to elimination of anti-black racism and
white supremacy and simultaneously be committed to liberalism, liberalism is necessarily in
opposition to all racial politics, I argue that that cannot be entirely true as in Politics no opinion
is wrong the white race always comes first even African believe that our leaders sold us to the
white men even in the independent era that we are at, why cannot African leaders preserve our
Continent by giving us skills that will help us and our Continent grow in terms of economic
growth and development and also our GDP. The race issue may somewhat go both ways black
against white people vice versa for no valid reason, but in valid reason black people are a
minority in some states and still suffer bad treatment and die in the hands of racist white people
and some never had their justice the relationship between these races is still very unbalanced.
What unites liberals is a basic commitment to the idea that every individual should have
maximum freedom to pursue their own individual projects that are an expression of their
autonomy. (M&G, 2018)
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