John Rawls and the Conception of the Political

Rawls's understanding of the political has been criticized as circular and ambiguous; the few clearer definitions are difficult to defend due to the controversial nature of the concepts or reasonable pluralism. A new definition centered on political ideal can, by clarifying and revising some of Rawls's original definitions, systematically explain and distinguish the sub-concepts within the cluster of political concepts in his later political philosophy—such as political conceptions, political values, political domains, and political issues—and their roles and functions. Moreover, this understanding shed light on the lack of sufficient theoretical resources in Rawlsian political philosophy to address the so- called the remainders of politics problem in dealing with fundamental issues of political life under conditions of reasonable pluralism.