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🤔intro to philosophy review

Veil of Ignorance

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025

Definition

The veil of ignorance is a hypothetical thought experiment in political philosophy that asks people to imagine making decisions about the structure of society without knowing what their place in that society would be. This encourages impartiality and fairness when considering issues of justice and the distribution of rights and resources.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. The veil of ignorance is a central concept in John Rawls' theory of justice, which aims to determine the principles of a just society.
  2. From behind the veil of ignorance, individuals are unaware of their social status, natural abilities, or place in the distribution of natural assets and talents.
  3. The veil of ignorance encourages people to adopt a perspective of impartiality and fairness when making decisions about the structure of society.
  4. Rawls argues that the principles of justice should be chosen from the original position behind the veil of ignorance to ensure that they are fair and not biased towards any particular group.
  5. The veil of ignorance is a thought experiment that helps to address issues of political legitimacy and the moral duty of citizens to obey the state.

Review Questions

  • Explain how the veil of ignorance is used to determine principles of justice in Rawls' theory.
    • According to Rawls, the veil of ignorance encourages individuals in the original position to adopt a perspective of impartiality and fairness when deciding on the principles that should govern society. Since they do not know their place in the social structure, they are motivated to choose principles that will ensure a fair distribution of rights and resources, rather than principles that would advantage their own particular situation. This helps to ensure that the chosen principles of justice are not biased towards any specific group or individual.
  • Describe how the veil of ignorance addresses issues of political legitimacy and the moral duty of citizens to obey the state.
    • The veil of ignorance is a key concept in Rawls' theory of justice, which aims to determine the principles that should govern the structure of a just society. By imagining themselves behind the veil of ignorance, individuals are encouraged to adopt a perspective of impartiality and fairness when making decisions about the distribution of rights and resources. This helps to ensure that the chosen principles of justice are not biased towards any particular group or individual, which in turn can contribute to the political legitimacy of the state and the moral duty of citizens to obey its laws and institutions.
  • Analyze how the veil of ignorance relates to the concept of social contract theory and its implications for the relationship between the individual and the state.
    • The veil of ignorance is closely connected to social contract theory, which holds that moral and political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement between the members of a society. By imagining themselves behind the veil of ignorance, individuals are encouraged to choose principles of justice that they would be willing to accept, regardless of their actual position in society. This helps to ensure that the resulting social contract is fair and legitimate, as it is based on principles that would be acceptable to all members of society, rather than being biased towards any particular group or individual. The veil of ignorance, therefore, has important implications for the relationship between the individual and the state, as it helps to establish the moral and political legitimacy of the state's authority and the corresponding duty of citizens to obey its laws and institutions.

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