Justificatory Liberalism: An Essay on Epistemology and Political Theory

Gerald Gaus draws on current work in epistemology and cognitive psychology to defend a modest version of cognitive relativism. Building on this theory of personal justification, he asks, "How do we justify moral and political principles to others?" Here, the "populist" proposal put forward by "political liberals"—that the assent of all reasonable citizens must be obtained—is considered and rejected. Because reasonable people often ignore excellent reasons, moral and political principles can...