The veil of ignorance

Design a rule without knowing which position you will occupy under it. What would you protect?

In Rawls's original position, parties choose principles of justice without knowing facts such as their social position or talents. The thought experiment tries to limit bargaining advantages from morally arbitrary circumstances while retaining general knowledge about society.

For example: Imagine setting a school's accessibility policy before knowing whether you will be a student, caregiver, teacher, or someone who needs accommodations.

Keep in mind: This is a philosophical construction with disputed assumptions. It does not establish that everyone would choose the same policy or simply maximize average happiness.

Think about it

Which rule would you change if you could not know whether you would be among its most advantaged or least advantaged participants?

Connected ideas

The is-ought gap · Small world networks · The map is not the territory

Sources and further reading

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Original Position

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