Rawls

Why use a hypothetical agreement, as opposed to a real agreement, to define justice?

A hypothetical agreement is a way of simplifying the complexity of the real world, and might allow us to address questions of justice step by step.

Real agreements occur between people or groups with pre-existing imbalances of power and information, making fair agreements nearly impossible.

Social contract theories must start with uncontroversial facts about human beings, to which the social contract theories then apply ethical reasoning.  Among these facts, a few are called, “the circumstances of justice,” and philosophers have traditionally pointed to these as important.  Which of the following is not one of the "circumstances of justice"?

Which of these is not one of the "circumstances of justice"?

Humans have sufficient wisdom to perceive the need for an agreement for cooperation

Why is climate change mitigation an example of the "prisoner's dilemma"?

Every country shares the benefits of a stable climate with other countries, but most individual countries benefit directly from economic growth that relies on polluting industry.

What is Rawls's "veil of ignorance" and how does it work in his theory of justice?

The hypothesis that we do not know our own identity helps us to remove our natural or customary biases.

The hypothetical parties behind the "veil of ignorance" think of themselves as idealized "moral persons" instead of real people with all our prejudices, confusions, and preconceptions.

The hypothetical parties behind the "veil of ignorance" are forced to view each problem of inequality from each side.

Since the hypothetical parties behind the "veil of ignorance" do not even know their own idea of what makes life meaningful, they must agree to social rules that protect individual rights.

Your professor is skeptical about Rawls's second principle because he does not think a single principle can address every form of inequality at once.  But it would be nice to have a simpler theory of justice than having to think about every form of inequality and every way that these inequalities intersect! 

What is the "difference principle," which forms part of Rawls's second principle of justice?

The just policy is that which gives the greatest benefit to the least-well-off members of society, but otherwise it can permit any amount of inequality.