What kind of world would you formulate if you were conscious before you were born, but did not know the circumstances into which you would be born? Philosopher John Rawls uses this thought experiment to argue for the moral responsibility to create a just world. He called this scenario the “veil of ignorance,” in which a person is hidden from the circumstances into which they may or may not have been born. From a moral point of view and in the best interest of oneself, it is imperative that the world be fair to all its inhabitants. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Rawls's "veil of ignorance" thought experiment was intended to highlight the injustice in the world. In the United States in particular, Rawls grew up during the Great Depression and witnessed blatant discrimination against minorities. The other astute observation he made was the rarity of the “rags to riches” phenomenon. Although there are many cases of poor people becoming rich through great achievements, Rawls found that these cases were extremely rare. This has led many policymakers and people in positions of wealth to adopt a self-help worldview and, therefore, to make little effort to create a more just world for those who are not as privileged as them. Rawls formulated a thought experiment to put those in privileged positions in the shoes of someone who could potentially be born into circumstances where society is not as fair as those who are privileged. One of the great tragedies of life is that you don't get to choose the circumstances into which you were born. You might be the child of well-meaning parents in a rich, developed country or you might be born in a poor area of ​​an underdeveloped country. Where you were born is obviously not well understood and the best guess is that it is simply a matter of chance. In the case that basically a lottery determines where you are born, John Rawls proposes a thought experiment in which, behind a "veil of ignorance", you find yourself in a sort of limbo before being born where you do not know if you were born in the country. rich country or poor nation. In this scenario, you are responsible for developing policies that will govern the world in which you will live. With an equal chance of growing up in rich or poor circumstances, it is in the best interest of the person and everyone else who faces this lottery. create a fair world for all its inhabitants. You don't want to risk creating an unbalanced world and hope to be born into more positive circumstances. Creating a more just world does not necessarily mean that some form of utopian society will always be the end result of the “veil of ignorance” thought experiment. Creating a more just world can be accomplished by small things like ensuring certain rights, no matter the circumstances. This includes guaranteeing every individual the right to freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, the freedom from slavery, among other fundamental human rights. There can still be wealth inequality in a just world, as long as wealth accumulation does not occur through the exploitation of disadvantaged workers. Wealth inequality can be alleviated by redistributing that wealth through aid programs for the disadvantaged. Even if you are a strong believer in capitalism, where there is a separation.