The World's Best Book Summaries
What on earth is the Kochtopus? How has it shaped politics and economics in America? The Kochtopus is an informal term used to describe the network of nonprofits that Charles Koch and David Koch funded to spread their free market ideals. In her book Dark Money, Jane Mayer discusses this network, arguing that it does more harm than good. Keep reading for Mayer’s history of the Kochtopus.
What does John Rawls mean by distributive justice? What’s the most just way to distribute social goods in a society? Distributive justice is the second principle of justice in John Rawls’s theory of justice as fairness. The principle of distributive justice states that everyone in society should have basic equal rights, liberties, and duties. Keep reading to learn about John Rawls’s distributive justice principle.
What caused the Islamist movement and sectarian conflict in the Middle East? How has U.S. policy failed in the region? In his book Battlegrounds, General H. R. McMaster explains the Middle East’s tangled history and the motivations of Iran, in particular, to disrupt its Arab neighbors. He provides his analysis of the U.S.’s bungled approach to diplomacy and military action in the region. Keep reading for McMaster’s take on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
How did the Koch brothers impact the 2016 presidential election? Did they explicitly back Trump? In Dark Money, award-winning journalist Jane Mayer explores the influence that the Koch brothers have had on American politics for decades. She includes a discussion of the 2016 election of Donald Trump. Keep reading for a quick overview of the direct and indirect connections between the Koch Brothers and Trump.
What is John Rawls’s definition of justice? How does Rawls’s conceptualization of justice differ from other theorists’? According to John Rawls, justice is a generally held idea of the most moral way of organizing society. Thus, Rawls doesn’t focus on justice on an individual level, which separates him from many other theorists of justice, who view social justice as an extension of individual justice. Keep reading to learn about Rawls’s concept of justice.
How can the U.S. bolster its influence in the world? Why isn’t it stronger than it is? The United States has an attitude problem. It views the world through a self-centered lens, based on the assumption that U.S. actions and policy decisions are the main driving force behind global events. That’s the view of General H. R. McMaster, who writes about this in his book. Continue reading for an overview of Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World.
How have the Koch brothers influenced American politics? What policies and candidates have they supported, and why? In Dark Money, award-winning journalist Jane Mayer argues that the wealthy elite in America has used their fortunes to propagate far-right ideology in American politics between the 1970s and 2016. She discusses conservative business tycoons Charles and David Koch in particular. Continue reading for an overview of Dark Money by Jane Mayer.
What is John Rawls’s critique of utilitarianism? Why does Rawls consider utilitarianism immoral? Utilitarianism was a dominant theory of justice during Rawls’s time. In A Theory of Justice, Rawls criticizes utilitarianism on the grounds of allowing the majority to oppress a minority. Here are John Rawls’s utilitarianism views.
What’s China’s vision for the world? How is China’s economic warfare being played out? What’s the risk to the rest of the world? In Battlegrounds, General H. R. McMaster identifies five “hot spots”—points of conflict between the U.S. and other parts of the world. These are China, Russia, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and North Korea. Keep reading for McMaster’s assessment of the growing threat of China, including China’s economic warfare.
What is the original position? How does the original position inform John Rawls’s theory of justice? “The original position” is the foundation of John Rawls’s theory of justice. The original position aims to determine the ideal theory of justice—one that a group of equals could rationally agree is best, regardless of their own personal backgrounds or circumstances. Keep reading to learn about the original position.