Ideal Theory and Utopia

John Rawls presents his work on social justice as Ideal Theory. By taking an idealized scenario, he is able to consider the compatibility of different concepts relating to social justice without being hampered by all the complexities of society and its actors; an approach to social theorizing that comes exceptionally close to designing Utopia. This paper examines the link between Rawlsian Ideal Theory and Utopia, and offers an amended definition of Ideal Theory with the concept of Utopia in mind.