After interest in normative political philosophy resurged in the Anglo-American world upon the publication of
John Rawls's
A Theory of Justice, Wolff made pointed criticisms of it from a roughly Marxist perspective. In 1977, he published
Understanding Rawls: A Critique and Reconstruction of A Theory of Justice, which takes aim at the extent to which Rawls's theory is cued to existing practice,
convention, and
status quo social science. Insofar as
A Theory of Justice forecloses critiques of
capitalist social relations,
private property and the
market economy, Wolff concluded that Rawls's project amounted to a form of apology for the
status quo, since, according to Wolff, markets and capitalist social relations are founded on exploitation and injustice, and Rawls did not defend his theory against these charges. Wolff was praised for this work, including, to his surprise, by many on the political right, such as
right-wing libertarians and
anarcho-capitalists. Wolff extended his advocacy of radical
participatory democracy to university governance in
The Ideal of the University, in which he argues against rising marketization and external encroachment and that universities should be governed primarily by faculty and students. Within his profession, Wolff was better known for his work on
Kant, particularly his books ''Kant's Theory of Mental Activity: A Commentary on the Transcendental Analytic of the Critique of Pure Reason
and The Autonomy of Reason: A Commentary on Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
. He was also a noted commentator on the works of Karl Marx. His works include Understanding Marx: A Reconstruction and Critique of Capital
and Moneybags Must Be So Lucky: On the Structure of Capital'', an analysis of Marx's rhetorical and literary techniques in
Das Kapital. His textbook
About Philosophy is used widely in introductory college philosophy courses. Wolff was also distinguished as a white man who transitioned from the philosophy department to the department of
Afro-American studies of the
University of Massachusetts-Amherst, as chronicled in his book
Autobiography of an Ex-White Man: Learning a New Master Narrative for America. In 1990, Wolff founded University Scholarships for South African Students, an organization devoted to promoting opportunities in higher education within South Africa for disadvantaged South African students. Since its creation, USSAS has assisted in providing funding and educational opportunities for thousands of students in South Africa. == Personal life and death ==