Choosing without knowing one's place
On the axis: Distributive justice · society's principles
What principles of distribution would we choose if we did not know the place we will occupy, rich or poor, gifted or not? Does this veil secure impartiality, or does it skew it?
This problem is brought out by the thought experiment The Veil of Ignorance:
Imagine you must set the rules of your society, but from behind a "veil of ignorance": you do not yet know who you will be in it. Rich or poor, gifted or not, well or badly born, healthy or sick, none of this is known to you. What rules of distribution would you choose, knowing you might end up in any position at all, including the very lowest?
Rawls, A Theory of Justice (1971)
Behind this veil, would you accept large inequalities, or would you first insist on protecting the lot of the least advantaged?
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Anchors: Rawls
leads to: The origin of the social bond