Many people think that modern society has a little bit – even complete – “unfair”
It is also difficult for us to clearly explain to people who have power that what is “justice”
In a more rational way, without personal anger and suffering
This is why we need John Rawls. He is a 20th century American philosopher who provided
a complete theory that defines what is truly “unfair”, and
Through our efforts, we can improve the unfairness.
Born in 1921 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, Rawls————
At a young age, I began to contact and respond to the injustices of modern society.
When he was a child, he witnessed the shocking poverty-stricken areas of the United States.
And his brother died of illness. Rawls is unconsciously influenced by these experiences —
It also includes the terrible, incurable World War II.
These have inspired him to go to academics, he hopes to use the power of thought,
Change this unjust world of his life.
The publication of The Theory of Justice in 1971 created the reputation of Rawls.
This book is widely read and discussed, and Bill Clinton also calls Rawls
The greatest political philosopher of the 20th century, and invited him to dinner at the White House on a regular basis.
What does this theory of justice reveal to modern society?
1. The current social operation is clearly unfair.
The statistics all show strong unfairness in society.
Those charts that compare life expectancy and income all point to one
Overwhelming moral principle
But day after day, we may not be able to take this unfairness seriously.
Especially if you want to link this to your personal life. Because there are too many people telling us,
If we work hard and have ambitions, we can do it! Rawls deeply understands
How does the so-called “American Dream” penetrate into the political system and reach people’s hearts?
Rawls also understands the corrosive and degrading effects of this idea.
He is a statistician, so it is too little to know that the story of “starting from scratch” is too small.
Therefore, it should not be taken too seriously by political theorists. Of course, mentioning these stories,
It’s just a smart, well-designed political trick that gives the right to
Avoid the tasks that must be taken to transform society from the top down.
Rawls understood the debate about unfairness and how to improve unfairness.
Often stagnated because of some embarrassing details and trivial disputes – there is no real result in the past year.
Therefore, what Rawls pursues is to tell people in a simple, economical and controversial way.
How unfair their society is and how it can be improved.
2. Imagine if you are not you now.
Rawls intuitively understands the great reason why it is difficult for society to become more fair.
Those who benefit from the existing unfair system are reluctant to think seriously about one thing:
What happens if you are born in a different background?
So he designed an experiment — one of the greatest ideas in the history of political thought —
He called it
“The curtain of ignorance.”
Rawls wants us to imagine that before we were born, we were in a state of conscious, intellectual,
But we don’t know at all what kind of environmental background we will be born in.
Our future is shrouded in “the curtain of ignorance.” Wandering above the planet –
— Rawls is very fascinated by the Apollo space program —
We don’t know what kind of family we will be born in?
What kind of neighborhood will you live in? What kind of school will you enter?
How can local hospitals treat us effectively? How will the police and the justice system treat us?
The questions that Rawls wants us to think all point to: If we don’t know where we are born,
What kind of society can make us feel that we can enter with peace of mind?
“The curtain of ignorance” lets us focus on those who have a good life,
The risk of moving to that monk, for example, although born in the United States —
— It’s like a lottery — but I don’t know if I will be born as a dentist’s child, living in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Or a child born as a black single mother, living in a chaotic area in eastern Detroit.
Is there any wise person involved in this lottery, willing to risk being born in our current society?
It’s very likely that no one is willing — they will insist that the rules of the game must change.
Otherwise the risk is too high.
3. Do you know what needs to be improved?
Rawls answered this question for us: Every wise person who participated in the experiment of “the curtain of ignorance”,
I hope to have a sound society in all aspects:
I hope the school is great and the hospital is working well.
There are impeccable and fair laws, and everyone has a suitable place to live.
“The curtain of ignorance” strongly convinces people that they really want to be born randomly in the country,
It must be a country like Switzerland and Denmark.
In other words, we do know what kind of society we want to live in.
We just didn’t put the focus right here before, because it was already born. ??
Rawls’s experiment allows us to think more objectively about what a fair society should look like.
When thinking about major decisions about resource allocation, we just need to ask ourselves:
If I am behind the curtain of ignorance, what do I think of this issue?
Once you think about how you can make the worst of the situation and enjoy sufficient resources, then a fair answer will appear directly.
4. What can I do next?
A big part of this depends on what is wrong with your society.
In this regard, Rawls’s theory is very useful and not empty talk–
— He recognizes that “the curtain of ignorance” will provoke different issues in different social contexts:
In some societies, the most important priority is air pollution, and in another society, it may be a school education system.
But the key thing is that Rawls provides us with a tool to critically examine today’s society —
Based on a simple and beautiful experiment.
We will know that we have finally built a fair society, when we can
Sincerely said: Even behind the “screen of ignorance”, we don’t mind at all.
What kind of family, what kind of neighborhood will be born.
We can’t reasonably accept this challenge today, it’s showing
How unfair the society is today — and, therefore, there are so many things that have yet to be worked out.
These are the things that Rawls helped us see.
It is also difficult for us to clearly explain to people who have power that what is “justice”
In a more rational way, without personal anger and suffering
This is why we need John Rawls. He is a 20th century American philosopher who provided
a complete theory that defines what is truly “unfair”, and
Through our efforts, we can improve the unfairness.
Born in 1921 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, Rawls————
At a young age, I began to contact and respond to the injustices of modern society.
When he was a child, he witnessed the shocking poverty-stricken areas of the United States.
And his brother died of illness. Rawls is unconsciously influenced by these experiences —
It also includes the terrible, incurable World War II.
These have inspired him to go to academics, he hopes to use the power of thought,
Change this unjust world of his life.
The publication of The Theory of Justice in 1971 created the reputation of Rawls.
This book is widely read and discussed, and Bill Clinton also calls Rawls
The greatest political philosopher of the 20th century, and invited him to dinner at the White House on a regular basis.
What does this theory of justice reveal to modern society?
1. The current social operation is clearly unfair.
The statistics all show strong unfairness in society.
Those charts that compare life expectancy and income all point to one
Overwhelming moral principle
But day after day, we may not be able to take this unfairness seriously.
Especially if you want to link this to your personal life. Because there are too many people telling us,
If we work hard and have ambitions, we can do it! Rawls deeply understands
How does the so-called “American Dream” penetrate into the political system and reach people’s hearts?
Rawls also understands the corrosive and degrading effects of this idea.
He is a statistician, so it is too little to know that the story of “starting from scratch” is too small.
Therefore, it should not be taken too seriously by political theorists. Of course, mentioning these stories,
It’s just a smart, well-designed political trick that gives the right to
Avoid the tasks that must be taken to transform society from the top down.
Rawls understood the debate about unfairness and how to improve unfairness.
Often stagnated because of some embarrassing details and trivial disputes – there is no real result in the past year.
Therefore, what Rawls pursues is to tell people in a simple, economical and controversial way.
How unfair their society is and how it can be improved.
2. Imagine if you are not you now.
Rawls intuitively understands the great reason why it is difficult for society to become more fair.
Those who benefit from the existing unfair system are reluctant to think seriously about one thing:
What happens if you are born in a different background?
So he designed an experiment — one of the greatest ideas in the history of political thought —
He called it
“The curtain of ignorance.”
Rawls wants us to imagine that before we were born, we were in a state of conscious, intellectual,
But we don’t know at all what kind of environmental background we will be born in.
Our future is shrouded in “the curtain of ignorance.” Wandering above the planet –
— Rawls is very fascinated by the Apollo space program —
We don’t know what kind of family we will be born in?
What kind of neighborhood will you live in? What kind of school will you enter?
How can local hospitals treat us effectively? How will the police and the justice system treat us?
The questions that Rawls wants us to think all point to: If we don’t know where we are born,
What kind of society can make us feel that we can enter with peace of mind?
“The curtain of ignorance” lets us focus on those who have a good life,
The risk of moving to that monk, for example, although born in the United States —
— It’s like a lottery — but I don’t know if I will be born as a dentist’s child, living in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Or a child born as a black single mother, living in a chaotic area in eastern Detroit.
Is there any wise person involved in this lottery, willing to risk being born in our current society?
It’s very likely that no one is willing — they will insist that the rules of the game must change.
Otherwise the risk is too high.
3. Do you know what needs to be improved?
Rawls answered this question for us: Every wise person who participated in the experiment of “the curtain of ignorance”,
I hope to have a sound society in all aspects:
I hope the school is great and the hospital is working well.
There are impeccable and fair laws, and everyone has a suitable place to live.
“The curtain of ignorance” strongly convinces people that they really want to be born randomly in the country,
It must be a country like Switzerland and Denmark.
In other words, we do know what kind of society we want to live in.
We just didn’t put the focus right here before, because it was already born. ??
Rawls’s experiment allows us to think more objectively about what a fair society should look like.
When thinking about major decisions about resource allocation, we just need to ask ourselves:
If I am behind the curtain of ignorance, what do I think of this issue?
Once you think about how you can make the worst of the situation and enjoy sufficient resources, then a fair answer will appear directly.
4. What can I do next?
A big part of this depends on what is wrong with your society.
In this regard, Rawls’s theory is very useful and not empty talk–
— He recognizes that “the curtain of ignorance” will provoke different issues in different social contexts:
In some societies, the most important priority is air pollution, and in another society, it may be a school education system.
But the key thing is that Rawls provides us with a tool to critically examine today’s society —
Based on a simple and beautiful experiment.
We will know that we have finally built a fair society, when we can
Sincerely said: Even behind the “screen of ignorance”, we don’t mind at all.
What kind of family, what kind of neighborhood will be born.
We can’t reasonably accept this challenge today, it’s showing
How unfair the society is today — and, therefore, there are so many things that have yet to be worked out.
These are the things that Rawls helped us see.
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