Judith shklar, bernard williams and political realism

Abstract

In light of recent interest among political theorists in the idea of political realism, Judith Shklars liberalism of fear has come to be associated with anti-Rawlsian thought. This paper seeks to show that, on the contrary, Shklars specific formulation of political realism, unlike more recent variations, was not motivated by a critique of Rawls. This paper will address three concerns: first, it will show what exactly Shklars initial realism was responding to; second, it will consider the implications of this realism for thinking about liberal democracies; third, it will attempt, briefly, in light of this, to make sense of her relationship with Rawls and, in turn, through a comparison with Bernard Williamss thought, her relationship to anti-Rawlsian political realism. © The Author(s) 2012.