The Veil of Ignorance: Framing Justice as Fairness
If you had to design a new society—but didn’t know who you’d be in it—what kind of rules would you create?
That’s the question behind the Veil of Ignorance, one of political philosophy’s most influential thought experiments. Proposed by American philosopher John Rawls in his 1971 book A Theory of Justice, the veil invites us to imagine a world where fairness is constructed without self-interest, bias, or power.
The goal isn’t utopia. It’s justice—for everyone.
The Thought Experiment
Here’s the setup:
You’re tasked with creating a new society’s basic rules and structure—laws, rights, economic policies, and institutions. But before you start, you must step behind the Veil of Ignorance.
Behind the veil, you don’t know anything about yourself:
Your gender, age, or race
Whether you’re rich or poor
Your religion or beliefs
Your intelligence or talents
Whether you have disabilities or come from privilege
Because you might be anyone, Rawls argues, you’ll be motivated to create rules that are fair to everyone, especially the most vulnerable.
This scenario is part of what Rawls called the Original Position—a hypothetical starting point for thinking about justice. It levels the playing field for moral reasoning.
The Two Principles of Justice
Rawls believed that rational people, behind the veil, would agree on two core principles:
1. Equal Basic Liberties
Everyone should have the same fundamental rights—freedom of speech, religion, thought, political participation, and personal autonomy.
These rights are inviolable and must be equal for all. Behind the veil, you wouldn’t risk being born into a group without them.
2. Fair Inequalities (The Difference Principle)
Social and economic inequalities are allowed—but only if:
They benefit the least advantaged members of society, and
There is equal opportunity to access any position or benefit.
This doesn’t mean total equality. Any inequality must lift everyone, including those at the bottom. Behind the veil, you’d want that safety net in case you ended up there.
Justice as Fairness
Rawls called his philosophy justice as fairness. It’s not about everyone having the same outcomes—it’s about creating a system where:
Rights are universal
Opportunities are open
Advantages are justifiable
His vision contrasts with utilitarianism, which might sacrifice some for the greater good. Rawls rejected that. Behind the veil, you wouldn’t gamble your basic rights for the chance at someone else’s happiness.
Why This Thought Experiment Matters
The brilliance of the veil is its moral clarity. It:
Encourages empathy by forcing us to imagine being anyone
Strips away bias and self-interest
Helps evaluate real-world policies with ethical objectivity
Rawls believed that if we all reasoned from this position, we’d create a truly just society—not just convenient for the powerful.
Real-World Parallels
The veil of ignorance isn’t just a classroom exercise. Its influence can be seen in:
Healthcare policy: Would you design a system that lets people go bankrupt from illness if you didn’t know whether you’d be rich or poor?
Education funding: Would you support underfunded schools if you might grow up in one?
Tax systems: Would you advocate for regressive taxes if you didn’t know your future income?
Disability rights: Would you build cities with inaccessible infrastructure if you didn’t know your abilities?
The veil forces us to ask: Would I accept this system if I were to land anywhere in it at random?
Connections to Other Philosophies
Kantian Ethics
Rawls was influenced by Immanuel Kant, who believed people should be treated as ends in themselves—not as means to someone else’s ends. The veil protects individuals from being used or sacrificed.
Social Contract Theory
The idea also draws from Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who imagined society as a contract we all agree to. Rawls modernized this idea by removing bias.
Critiques of Rawls
Like any major theory, Rawls’s ideas have faced criticism:
Libertarians, like Robert Nozick, argued that enforced redistribution of wealth violates personal liberty. People should keep what they earn, regardless of starting position.
Some critics say Rawls’s theory is too idealistic—real people don’t think behind veils.
Others note that cultural values differ. Not everyone shares Rawls’s liberal priorities.
Still, few dispute that the veil of ignorance is a powerful tool for thinking about fairness.
Related Thought Experiments
The Trolley Problem: Raises questions about moral rules vs. outcomes.
The Experience Machine: Explores whether pleasure alone is enough for a meaningful life.
The Original Position: Rawls’s broader idea, of which the veil is a part, invites us to reason from a position of equality before setting rules.
Each of these tests the depth of our moral beliefs.
A Tool for Debate and Policy
The veil has been used to analyze:
Universal Basic Income
Climate justice and intergenerational fairness
Criminal justice reform
Voting rights and gerrymandering
It remains especially relevant in modern policy debates, where inequality and polarization challenge our ability to see past our own circumstances.
A Modern Application: AI Ethics
The veil of ignorance is increasingly cited in AI design and tech policy. If we don’t know who we’ll be, we might design AI systems to:
Minimize bias
Protect privacy for all
Ensure access across socioeconomic groups
Philosopher Elizabeth Edenberg, writing for Ethics Unwrapped, notes that the veil offers a lens for building inclusive and equitable algorithms—especially when decisions about justice are automated.
Glossary of Terms
Veil of Ignorance: A moral filter that removes personal bias when evaluating justice.
Original Position: Rawls’s hypothetical starting point for deciding the rules of a just society.
Justice as Fairness: Rawls’s theory that justice should ensure equal rights and fair inequalities.
Difference Principle: The idea that inequalities must benefit the least advantaged.
Social Contract: The theoretical agreement among individuals to form a society and government.
Discussion Questions
Would you agree to live under your society’s rules if you didn’t know your status within it?
Can real-world politics be shaped by the reasoning behind the veil?
What systems today would look unjust if viewed through the veil?
References and Further Reading
Rawls, John. A Theory of Justice, Harvard University Press, 1971
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy – John Rawls
Ethics Unwrapped – Veil of Ignorance
BBC Ethics Guide – What Is a Just Society?
“Behind the Veil of Ignorance” – The Philosopher’s Zone, ABC Radio National