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    The selection of which contingencies to exclude behind th... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→No party behind the veil of ignorance can press for principles that arbitrarily favor the particular citizen they represent.

    The selection of which contingencies to exclude behind the veil is itself a normative choice that embeds substantive liberal values prior to any agreement, undermining the claim of procedural neutrality.

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    1 reason for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Deciding to exclude knowledge of race, gender, or class from behind the veil presupposes these categories matter morally in ways worth protecting.
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    • 2.Any threshold for what counts as a 'contingency' to exclude reflects prior judgments about what's arbitrary versus essential to identity.
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    • 3.Rawls's theory privileges individuality and separateness as values worth protecting, which is itself a substantive liberal commitment.
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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
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    • 1.The veil aims to model fairness through impartiality, not neutrality about all values—procedural fairness itself requires some normative framework.
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    • 2.Excluding contingencies tied to arbitrary advantages (birth, talents, circumstances) differs meaningfully from embedding controversial moral views.
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    • 3.All moral reasoning embeds some prior commitments; the veil's structure still constrains outcomes in ways that don't depend on pre-agreement bias.
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    Key Terms

    Contingencies(as used in planning and risk management)
    Unexpected situations or emergencies that might happen and need to be prepared for or dealt with.
    liberal values(as used in political philosophy)
    Principles like individual freedom, equality, and rights that emphasize personal liberty and fair treatment for everyone.
    normative(in ethics and philosophy)
    Relating to how things should be or what people ought to do, rather than just describing how things actually are.
    procedural neutrality(as used in theories of justice)
    The idea that a process or method is fair and impartial because it doesn't favor any particular outcome or group beforehand.
    the veil of ignorance(as used in John Rawls's theory of justice)
    A thought experiment where you imagine making rules for society without knowing what position you'd have in it (rich or poor, healthy or sick, etc.), so you'd theoretically be fair.

    Connections

    2 topics

    Social Contract1 linkedDemocracy & Governance1 linked

    Related

    All moral reasoning embeds some prior commitments; the veil's structure still co...Any threshold for what counts as a 'contingency' to exclude reflects prior judgm...Deciding to exclude knowledge of race, gender, or class from behind the veil pre...Excluding contingencies tied to arbitrary advantages (birth, talents, circumstan...
    +3 moreShow less
    No party behind the veil of ignorance can press for principles that arbitrarily ...Rawls's theory privileges individuality and separateness as values worth protect...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    The veil aims to model fairness through impartiality, not neutrality about all v...