The Veil Of Ignorance

What’s your blueprint for a just society? Your answer probably reflects who you are and the situation you find yourself in. If you’re rich, you may well be in favour of the freedom to earn and enjoy the fruits of your efforts; if you’re poor you’re likely to be more supportive of a system that redistributes wealth.

John Rawls argued it might be more just to construct this blueprint from behind a 'veil of ignorance'. Find out how in this 2 minute animation.

Narrated by Stephen Fry. Scripted by Nigel Warburton.

This project is from the BBC in partnership with The Open University, the animations were created by Cognitive.

[andrefrazao]

Wow
I just found it amazing how I understood this term by watching a 1 and a half minute video while the last time I tried to understand it by reading I couldnt even get a single word.
Thanks for the organized explanation :D

[josephreising]

These animations are incredible, and witty and clever at the same time.  This installment references at least 3 classic board games: Monopoly, Guess Who and Mousetrap - the last one very subtly.

[zilanavc]

The most clear explanation of veil of ignorance.
Thank youu

[rikzinglhamubhutia]

Thank you very much. it was easy and fair.

[ayasaher]

a society, to my mind, is the place where people should accept each other regardless their race, religion, sect or color. Also, it's where we should feel breezes of liberty, justice and human rights. Sorry we miss these more in the developing countries

[OverLordGoldDragon]

This question becomes so much more complex when you introduce religion into the mix.

Think about it. Say you go back in time and tell the people you are from the future and you possess superior knowledge and are able to make society better. What is the only thing that will stand in your way? God. Blasphemy! Witch! Antichrist!

It could be argued that the two primary causes of conflict in the world are (1) Resource scarcity (2) Ideological disagreement. However, it all can be boiled down to (2) once you realize that if (2) is no longer an issue, neither is (1). People of reason will be much more likely to sort thinks out in a way beneficial to all, whereas people of doctrine and ideologies of poisonous totalitarian regulations will never agree whose version of the man in the sky that doesn't exist is right.

[ronaldguedezvideos]

Outstanding video! Thank you so much for this! I can now do my mini-essay homework.

[tatianatorres]

AMAZING!!! Thank you so much! What an interesting concept :D

[charlesmicheaux]

The change we want to see in this world starts inside of us, it is born in our gut and then flows from our heart. We all come into this stain free.

[bigredracingdog]

The difficulty is to create enough incentive for entrepreneurs to build businesses while at the same time providing an adequate safety net for those who cannot help themselves. That incentive is what creates the businesses that create jobs for everyone in between. If the system doesn't provide that incentive, then everyone's prospects are diminished. If too many people at the bottom are gaming the system, there is less capital to create jobs. If it was easy, everyone would be happy.

[mk]

I was like "I know his voice from somewhere it feels nostalgic" it appears he is the narrator for little big planet game on the play station 3

[jan-paulsandmann]

It is a nice video in 90 seconds, and therefore has to be limited. However, we should also consider that the veil of ignorance goes beyond this. We do not even know whether being "black, white or mixed" or a potential preference for "Beethoven, Shakira or Coltrane" might likely lead to positive or negative outcomes. We have no idea about consequences to human characteristics. Moreover, natural inequality is a given, and acceptable to the extent to which it creates the framework of equality of opportunity.

[trefod]

The world could do with a veil of ignorance.

[merona]

One of my favorite ideologies!! The point being... true social justice describes a society where if everyone had no idea what socioeconomic class they would be born into and have to live in, leaving it all up to chance, every single person would perfer a society where the "worse off" had access to basic needs, lived a comfortable life, and had a fair shot of success like everyone else. Simply put, that is social justice- not the "socialist" agenda the media and current political climate has warped it into.

[IamHumanWoman]

My society:

1. Children are introduced to emotional development. Begin at Toddler age, preschool, kindergarten, primary school- teach the human child about emotions and what is acceptable adult behavior and not. Continue these compulsory classes and advance the stages of learning to the age so it’s appropriate.

How many children are in abusive homes, but do not know…until it’s too late?

How many of us laugh at videos online that are actually NOT funny? Seriously consider how emotionally immature humans are and why the world is in chaos.

Early on, education would also be tailored to explore interests and strengths, giving the student encouragement to proceed and develop their studies. Every human finds something of interest easier to learn than by force.


Language, we should create a world where the human child is not limited to one language. Two or three common world languages taught across the board would be helpful.

If we can communicate, we share a common factor making life easier as we can assimilate.

It also needs to be discussed and taught that human physiology processes run the same across all ethnicities and cultures. I don’t know why, but humans don’t acknowledge that DNA is a program, the coding for life and the cell stores information. Science explains this.

Animal species also adapt and change depending on the earths harsh environment. Human bodies also do the same.

Human is human. In Carl Sagan’s said it well when he said earth was the only world so far that is known to harbor life.

Well, then why make life hell when it can be actual paradise. If we choose.

I would choose to live in that reality where we are conscious and aware of how our energy truly affects another.

I love you. I see no separation between you, me, the mouse, the crocodile. We are one 🤍🙏

[christophermichaelczechowi]

You could have been born anywhere and under any circumstances.

[jhunt]

Rawls didn't just apply this to human beings as this video graphically displays, he was an ethical vegetarian. Look from behind the veil of ignorance at a factory farm or a slaughterhouse. An intilectually honest person would take only a few seconds to arrive at Rawls' conclusion.

[simplulo]

If the veil of ignorance concealed the year of your birth, not just your role in society, which economic system would you rather be born into?

[gogogolearn]

Perhaps the VEIL of IGNORANCE was inspired by Plato's Republic and the idea of the FORM of the GOOD... (Not proposing that VEIL of IGNORANCE is exactly the same as the FORM of the GOOD!). My imperfect interpretation is the FORM of the GOOD is that which is universally GOOD across all time and space. In other words, for Plato, the FORM of the GOOD X doesn't change relativistically because of the year, century, country, person, culture etc. Rather imperfect and subjective perceptions of "What is Good" is changes, and strong belief in our imperfect subjective impressions often results in human conflicts, environmental damage etc. It seems John Rawls creatively applies (to some degree) the FORM of the GOOD to making social, economic and political decisions... If I understand John Rawls correctly, a "GOOD" course of action or policy (social, political or economic) will be GOOD for ALL (without favoring particular groups or environments over other particular groups or environments).

A Perfect Circle might exist in the abstract realm of thinking, but a Perfect Circle might not exist in the physical world (at least I have not found one yet). Similarly, a Perfectly Good Policy might exist in an abstract sense; however, creating and acting upon a Perfect Policy might not be possible in the physical world... as there will almost certainly always be some degree of unfairness, implicit bias, subjectivity, egocentrism, culturalcentrism, nationalism, us vs. them... etc., and there will almost always be those who will benefit more and those who will benefit less to some degree... EVEN STILL..., if we start with a better blue print by applying the VEIL of IGNORANCE, we will at least be making determined efforts to create policies that are based on more ethical blue prints. If we do our best to apply the VEIL of IGNORANCE, we might at the very least greatly reduce the degree of injustice in the policies we create.

The information above is share as a set of assumptions, not facts... What do you think?

[winproduction]

what is poorest of the society directly benefited?