Quotation:

“A problem of rational decision has a definite answer only if we know the beliefs and interests of the parties, their relations with respect to one another, the alternatives between which they are to choose, the procedure whereby they make up their minds, and so on.” pg 16

“To present the desired restrictions one imagines a situation in which everyone is deprived of this sort of information. One excludes the knowledge of those contingencies which sets men at odds and allows them to be guided by their prejudices. In this manner the veil of ignorance is arrived at in a natural way.” pg 17

Comment: I chose these two quotes because they relate back to some of the conversation that we had in last week’s class. These quotes are discussing the idea of rationality and how that can affect the process of choosing what is just and what is unjust. In the first quote, he is describing the factors that go into deciding what is considered “rational,” which was a question that was proposed last class, so this really caught my eye. The second quote comes right after he gives the example of the wealthy man vs the poor man and how they propose opposing principles because they both want/need opposite things. The second quote reminded me of what Professor Cripps had said in class where he proposed a scenario where we all didn’t know who we would be or what qualities we would assess so that this way we could create a fair society with fair principles of justice. For example, if I was super strong and this were to happen, I would not know that I am super strong. This would blind out any possible biases that people may have that would create an advantage in their own life. This way we would have created a fair society with fair principles of justice. 

Comment: The one bit that I am confused on is how the manner of the veil of ignorance would occur in a “natural way.” What makes it natural/ How does it occur in a natural way?

Post Class Reflection:


My spoken contributions today (bullets, fragments, keywords)		Helping Hands Today (up to 3) – Name & Briefly Describe Contribution to Class (bullets, fragments, keywords)
~quotes from pages 16 & 17
~social contract theory~veil of ignorance
~difficulties of putting others interests ahead of your own















~Maddy: practice & research, self interest vs. selflessness
~Jill: self interest becomes a problem because of inequalities
~Haley: shoes analogy

Today’s class discussion altered my thoughts about today’s text(s) in the following ways (link to your QCQ and/or to other ideas):

Today’s class discussion helped me grasp the ideas that Rawl’s was presenting in this section. The idea that was discussed that most resonated with me was the shoe analogy that Halye had mentioned and expanded upon. It kinda went along with my quotes about the veil of ignorance and knowing the beliefs, values, etc. of the parties that are included in the decision making. Haley had made a point about wearing someone else’s shoes vs. wearing no shoes. We discussed this matter and Cripps put it into a different light: we have all the shoes lined up in front of us, we don’t know what shoes we’re getting… We need to know the right amount of information under the veil of ignorance to make decisions but also not enough information to be able to privilege ourselves and our own interests. I had touched upon the difficulties of putting others interests ahead of your own. It is very difficult to put our own interests aside and vouch for other’s interests instead, especially when it comes to making informed decisions that involve the principles of justice. I’m still not sure about how the veil of ignorance can occur in a “natural” way?