Distortion of Liberal-Communitarian Debate : Argument over “Self”

A robust argument between advocates of liberalism and communitarianism took place between the late 1980s and the 1990s.Much of the debate was conducted between John Rawls,on the liberal side,and Michael Sandel,who supported communitarianism.Rawls stresses “freedom”while Sandel values“community.”This difference is the subject of controversy.Analyzing this controversy reveals that Rawls’s claims include those of Sandel,and Sandel’s claims include those of Rawls.The purpose of this paper is to clarify the apparent distortion in their views.