MODULE 40: Rawls’ Veil of Ignorance and Fair Compensation
Systems
Core Module Issues:
• What is Rawls’ Veil of Ignorance?
• Is it a reasonable justification for egalitarian policies?
Module Teaching Notes
Many thinkers have offered arguments in favor of the ideas presented in the last module: libertarianism and
egalitarianism. To me, the most interesting of them all is an argument in favor of egalitarian thought. Not all
students agree that is justifies egalitarianism, but it does tend to spark debate.
John Rawls opined that, if one could place himself behind a “veil of ignorance”, that is, if had no idea about
how competitive he would be relative to everyone else, that he would naturally want egalitarian policies in
place in his workplace and in his nation.
Rawls believed that people’s perceptions are clouded by the fact that everyone assesses his relative
standing in society, and that if those perceptions were turned off, libertarian policies would largely go away.
So essentially, the veil of ignorance requires a thought experiment. While the scenario in this module is
perhaps more soap opera than reality, I hope that it will help students to carry out the thought experiment
and put the veil of ignorance idea to the test.
Discussion Points for Scenario Questions
1. Place yourself in Jack’s shoes behind the veil of ignorance. Which of the three schools would
you choose as your employer? Why?
A. WHAT WAS YOUR CHOICE?
B. WAS THIS AN EGALITARIAN OR LIBERTARIAN CHOICE?
2. Which of the schools do you think most people would select? Why?
A. SAME AS YOUR CHOICE – WHY? DOES THIS MEAN RAWLS WAS
RIGHT OR WRONG?
B. DIFFERENT THAN YOUR CHOICE – WHY? DOES THIS MEAN RAWLS
WAS RIGHT OR WRONG?
3. Place yourself in Jack’s shoes again, but suppose that you are able to recall one additional
fact about yourself: Before the accident, you were a math teacher for ten years. Now which of
the three job offers would you choose? If your selection changed, why did it change?
A. SAME ANSWER – WHY?
B. DIFFERENT ANSWER – WHY?
4. Now suppose that you are able to recall another new fact about yourself: You were a highly
decorated math teacher before the accident. In fact, you clearly remember being named “teacher
of the year.” Now which of the three job offers would you choose? If your selection changed,
why did it change?
A. SAME ANSWER – WHY?
B. DIFFERENT ANSWER – WHY?
5. After working through this module, do you find the veil of ignorance idea to be a useful tool?
Why or why not?
A. USEFUL TOOL – DOES IT IN FACT JUSTIFY EGALITARIAN POLICIES,
OR IS IT VALUABLE FOR SOME OTHER REASON?