The Development of John Rawls' Thoughts in the Context of Contemporary Western European liberal Philosophy

In connection with the growing social control in many democratic societies and the global problems that all of humanity is facing, including liberal states, liberalism is in a precarious position. Challenges such as the continued rise in unemployment, economic unrest, and growing social inequality reduce faith in democratic institutions and the truth of liberal ideas. Studying the thought of theorists of liberalism seems appropriate in this context, since it can help in establishing a clearer understanding of the basic ideas and principles of the doctrine of liberalism. In this paper, an attempt is made to trace the development of the thoughts of the famous American political philosopher John Rawls. Attention is given to the historically established liberal tradition and criticisms of the theory put forward by Rawls. The study is conducted using the methods of conceptual analysis, historical method, comparative analysis, criticism and interpretation. The author comes to the conclusion that the ideas of John Rawls underwent significant changes during the academic activity of the thinker as a result of his comprehension of criticisms from libertarians and communitarianists, as well as due to a change in his own views. Despite the major transformations introduced by Rawls in his conception in the late period of work, the theory of the philosopher does not lose its value and remains one of the most important theoretical systems of modern political philosophy.