Finding Objectivity Behind the “Veil of Ignorance”
In my last article, “Marx Embraced Capitalism” I talked about the need to discuss the fairest and most just way to distribute the wealth that Capitalism has created.
The Problem of Subjectivity
One of the problems with these types of discussions is that most people will advocate for policies beneficial to themselves and their circumstances. Rich people will most likely want their taxes and spending on social programs cut, while financially less well-off people will want the opposite: more taxes on the wealthy and more spending on social programs. Both groups of people are advocating positions that are in their own best self-interest, without thinking about what policies would be best for society as a whole.
Their choices reflect subjective, not objective preferences. So how do we climb out of our subjective preferences and agree on what are objectively the best policies for society as a whole?
John Rawls and the “Veil of Ignorance”
American philosopher, John Rawls (1921-2002) came up with a brilliant solution to this problem for those willing to put themselves behind a “Veil of Ignorance”.
Rawls believes that justice demands not only impartiality but also treating people fairly in proportion to their needs as well as their merits.
The Natural Lottery of Birth
Rawls bases his views on justice on what he calls the “Natural Lottery”. When we are born, we have no idea who we will be, where we will be born, who are parents will be, what our natural intelligence and abilities will be, what socio-economic status our parents will have, whether we will be healthy, sick, or physically handicapped, and so on. In short, there will be unequal births and gifts of natural endowments that nobody has any control over. Some people are born into much better circumstances, and with better natural endowments than others. This is nobody’s fault, it’s just the luck of the draw, or as Rawls puts it, the natural lottery.
Rawls goes on to say, that while redistributing wealth through welfare or charity can help alleviate some of these natural inequalities, if the underlying condition that creates these inequalities continues to exist, these programs won’t solve the root problem of inequality.
We Need a Social Contract
So Rawls argues that we need to create a “social contract.” In order to make this contract as unbiased and objective as we can, he says we have to put ourselves behind “the Veil of Ignorance”.
The veil of ignorance is a thought experiment where each person is ignorant of the advantages and disadvantages they may have at birth (the natural lottery). These include economic standing, gender, intelligence, health, place of birth and so on. So the question is, what kind of a society would we want to create if we have no idea about ourselves or our circumstances in this society?
So, instead of arguing subjectively as to what will benefit us in this life, Rawls is saying, let’s pretend we don’t know anything about ourselves or our circumstances in this upcoming life. How would we then design the social contract?
We may be bright, ambitious, healthy and wealthy in this life, but behind the veil of ignorance, we most likely won’t be any of those things in our upcoming life. We could easily draw the opposite of those characteristics in the natural lottery, and if so, wouldn’t we want to construct a society where we would still have a decent shot at a good life?
Two Principles Rational People Would Agree With
Rawls says that under the conditions of impartiality (behind the Veil of Ignorance), all rational people would agree on two principles of justice. In his own words, these are:
“First, each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others.
Second, social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both (a) reasonably expected to be to everyone’s advantage, and (b) attached to positions and offices open to all.”
Primary Social Goods We All Should Have Equally
Using these two principles, Rawls suggests that the “primary social goods”, including housing, food, police protection, healthcare, and education be distributed equally. They are what everyone needs to pursue their concept of the good life.
So, very wealthy people who want more tax cuts for themselves and less spending on social programs, including the above “primary social goods”, might change their mind if they weren’t assured of such a privileged position in the natural lottery.
If we don’t know who we will be born as, how intelligent or healthy we will be, or the social and economic situation we will be born into, we would then most likely want to create a social contract that would give us the best shot at a good life no matter what situation we might find ourselves in.
Possible Objections
People might be thinking, “no matter what situation I’m born into, I will always make my way out of it. Hard work and determination conquers all. Nothing can hold me down.”
But that view assumes you will be the same person you are now, and you won’t be. You might be born with a low IQ, a physical handicap, and low ambition so that conventional images of success don’t motivate you. That’s what it means to be born behind the veil of ignorance. We don’t know anything about ourselves or what characteristics or traits we might be endowed with in this scenario.
Conclusion
Rawls’ “theory of Justice is brilliant. It gives us a method (the veil of ignorance) for a truly objective view as to what a good and just society should be. It would be a society based on what’s good for the whole, and not just what’s good for me alone. I wonder how many of us would be willing to put ourselves behind the “Veil of Ignorance”, having the courage to climb out of our current subjectivity to view these issues more objectively? But these are the leaps we need to make if we are to bring about a fairer and more just society.
To learn more about the magic of the universe: Click this link: The Magical Universe.
