Drawing on current work in epistemology and cognitive psychology, this treatise develops a theory of personally justified belief. Building on this, it then advances an account of public justification that is more normative and less "populist" than the views of political liberals.

"[The author's writing] is carried out with care and sophistication and shows command of a wide range of philosophical sources. [The book] is an important contribution [and] cannot be ignored by anyone seriously interested in this topic."--The Journal of Politics "This impressive book is a detailed exploration...readers interested in contemporary liberalism will find their understanding of it significantly enhanced by this book"--Ethics "Gerald Gaus has written a stimulating and thoroughly argued book....Gaus's book is a rich and fascinating exploration of the foundations and implications of a political theory of public justification. I recommend it strongly to every political philosopher."--The Philosophical Review "[The author's writing] is carried out with care and sophistication and shows command of a wide range of philosophical sources. [The book] is an important contribution [and] cannot be ignored by anyone seriously interested in this topic."--The Journal of Politics "This impressive book is a detailed exploration...readers interested in contemporary liberalism will find their understanding of it significantly enhanced by this book"--Ethics

Gerald F. Gaus is Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, Duluth and President of the International Economics and Philosophy Society. He is the author of Value and Justification: The Foundations of Liberal Theory (1990) and The Modern Liberal Theory of Man (1983).