Final Report - Brandon Furr

 How to Build a Society: 

John Rawls and the Veil of Ignorance

    What would a truly fair society look like? How could we design it from scratch? John Rawls was one of the most influential political philosophers of the 20th century and these were the kind of questions he wanted to find the answers to. At the heart of his philosophy is the Veil of Ignorance, a thought experiment that uses human greed to create a fair society.

Who is John Rawls?

John Rawls was born in 1921 in Baltimore, Maryland, into a well-off family. His father was a lawyer, and his mother was involved in the women’s suffrage movement. Despite their privilege, Rawls faced personal tragedies that profoundly shaped his outlook on life. Two of his four brothers died at a young age from illnesses they contracted from each other. These losses deeply influenced his views on suffering and fairness.

Rawls attended private school and later enrolled at Princeton, where he studied philosophy and earned his undergraduate degree. He fought in the Pacific during World War II and served briefly in the occupation of Japan. After the war, he returned to Princeton to complete a PhD in moral philosophy, shifting his focus from theological ethics to political philosophy.

These wartime experiences sparked Rawls' interest in how societies can organize themselves to promote justice and limit suffering. His groundbreaking work, A Theory of Justice, was published in 1971 and remains one of the most important texts in political philosophy.

In A Theory of Justice, Rawls introduces the concept of “justice as fairness,” encapsulated in two principles:

1. Equal Basic Rights: A just society guarantees equal basic rights and opportunities for all citizens. This includes fundamental liberties such as freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and the right to vote.
2. Equality of Opportunity and the Difference Principle: Social and economic inequalities are permissible only if they benefit the least advantaged members of society.

Rawls carefully ordered these principles. The first principle of equal basic rights takes precedence because fundamental liberties should not be sacrificed for social or economic advantages. The second principle should be pursued only in ways that respect the first.

These ideas were a significant departure from utilitarianism, which focuses on maximizing happiness for the majority, sometimes at the expense of individual rights. Rawls argued that justice must be rooted in fairness, not just outcomes.

Rawls' philosophy culminated in the Veil of Ignorance, a thought experiment designed to strip away biases and self-interest in the creation of societal rules. It is part of what Rawls calls the "Original Position," a hypothetical scenario where rational individuals come together to decide the principles of justice that will govern their society.

The key to this thought experiment is that participants must operate behind the Veil of Ignorance, which means they have no knowledge of their future position in the society they are designing. They don’t know their wealth, social status, race, gender, abilities, or even personal values. Would you be rich or poor? Able-bodied or disabled? Highly educated or with limited opportunities? The Veil ensures that no one can tailor the rules to favor their circumstances, creating a fair starting point for everyone.

Rawls believed that, under these conditions, people would naturally prioritize fairness and equality. Knowing they could end up in the least advantaged position, they would design a society where fundamental rights and opportunities are protected for all. This approach cleverly uses self-interest to achieve impartiality.

Some real world applications for the Veil of Ignorance include:

• Healthcare: What system would you design if you didn’t know whether you’d be wealthy or uninsured? The Veil of Ignorance suggests a system with universal access to healthcare.
• Education: How would schools be structured if you didn’t know whether you’d be born into privilege or poverty? The concept points to equal access to quality education.
• Economic Inequality: Policies such as progressive taxation align with Rawls’ Difference Principle, ensuring that inequalities work to benefit the least advantaged.

Here's a short video diving into the Veil of Ignorance

While Rawls’ theories are compelling, implementing them in practice is challenging. Political polarization, entrenched economic interests, and cultural divides make it difficult to achieve equality of opportunity or prioritize the needs of the least advantaged.

One criticism is that Rawls’ principles might conflict with the realities of capitalism. How do we reconcile the Difference Principle with market-driven economies that often create inequality? Critics argue that even if Rawls’ ideas are philosophically sound, they may be too idealistic for practical use.

However, defenders of Rawls counter that his framework is meant as a guiding principle, not a strict blueprint. His emphasis on fairness offers a moral compass for tackling systemic issues like poverty, healthcare access, and education reform.

John Rawls challenged us to rethink the ideas of fairness and justice, not as abstract ideas but as principles that have practical implications. His vision of a fair society rooted in equality and mutual respect remains as important as ever in addressing the complexities of our world. Rawls reminds us that building a just society requires us to imagine a world where fairness is the foundation, if we could practically put his ideas into practice every member of society would have equal opportunities. Unfortunately however, like many philosophical thought process' it's simply not possible to fully implement his ideas. Even though it's not entirely possible, we would gain much as a society by listening to John Rawls philosophy.

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The Hidden Influence of John Rawls on the American Mind