One of the greatest living American political philosophers and moral theorists, John Rawls, who authored the magisterial "A Theory of Justice," just passed away at age 82. The work is a landmark in political philosophy and in liberalism, though its difficulty has made it inaccessible to many who might benefit from its discussions and arguments. If you have some philosophical or political science training and haven't read it, I recommend it.
More on Rawls here
NY Times Obituary of Rawls
Peter Berkowitz on Rawls
Martha Nussbaum on Rawls
It's interesting to note that his brilliant former Harvard colleague and ideological inverse, Robert Nozick, who wrote the award-winning "Anarchy, State, and Utopia" as a direct counter to "A Theory of Justice," also passed away earlier this year.
More on Nozick here.
[ November 25, 2002: Message edited by: fantomas ]