Design society without knowing whether you'll be born rich, poor, or disabled

John Rawls asked what rules a group of rational people would choose for society if none of them knew their own future place in it — their wealth, talents, race or health, all hidden behind a 'veil of ignorance.' He argued that, unable to gamble on privilege, they'd rationally choose rules that protect the worst-off, since anyone might end up there.

— John Rawls, A Theory of Justice — Harvard University Press, 1971
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