The veil of ignorance is a concept introduced by John Rawls in A Theory of Justice. It is a method of determining the morality of a certain issue (e.g. slavery) based upon the following principle: imagine that societal roles were completely re-fashioned and redistributed, and that from behind your veil of ignorance you do not know what role you will be reassigned. Only then can you truly consider the morality of an issue. For example, whites in the pre-Civil War south did indeed condone slavery, but they most likely would not have done so had there been a re-fashioning of society because of which they would not know if they would be the ones enslaved. John Rawls (February 21, 1921 – November 24, 2002) was a philosopher, a professor of political philosophy at Harvard University and author of A Theory of Justice (1971), Political Liberalism, and The Law of Peoples. ... A Theory of Justice is a book of political and moral philosophy by John Rawls. ...

An important feature of this thought-experiment is that you don't get to keep any aspects of your current role, even aspects that are an integral part of your self. As put by John Rawls himself ..."no one knows his place in society, his class position or social status; nor does he know his fortune in the distribution of natural assets and abilities, his intelligence and strength, and the like" (Rawls, A Theory of Justice). For example, in the imaginary society, you might not be intelligent, nor would you have a good sense of humor. Rawls believes that your current possession of these gifts is no more than good luck, which you must be willing to relinquish when building the society from behind the veil. John Rawls (February 21, 1921 – November 24, 2002) was a philosopher, a professor of political philosophy at Harvard University and author of A Theory of Justice (1971), Political Liberalism, and The Law of Peoples. ... A Theory of Justice is a book of political and moral philosophy by John Rawls. ...

One could argue that society needs to promote some desirable qualities, even if that increases the disparity between roles (for example, hard work). On the other hand, it's the natural inclination of the world (and of markets in particular) to reward these qualities, and all reasonable efforts to help the disadvantaged won't raise their roles higher than the roles with natural advantage.

The veil of ignorance is part of the long tradition of thinking in terms of a social contract. See Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Jefferson and The Federalist Papers for examples of this tradition. Social contract is a phrase used in philosophy, political science, and sociology to denote a real or hypothetical agreement within a state regarding the rights and responsibilities of the state and its citizens, or more generally a similar concord between a group and its members. ... Thomas Hobbes: detail from a portrait by John Michael Wright (National Portrait Gallery, London) Thomas Hobbes (April 5, 1588 – December 4, 1679) was a noted English political philosopher, most famous for his book Leviathan (1660). ... John Locke John Locke (August 29, 1632–October 28, 1704) was a 17th century philosopher concerned primarily with society and epistemology. ... Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean Jacques Rousseau (June 28, 1712 - July 2, 1778) was a Swiss-French philosopher, writer, political theorist, and self-taught composer of The Age of Enlightenment Biography of Rousseau The tomb of Rousseau in the crypt of the Panthéon, Paris Rousseau was born in Geneva, Switzerland... Order: Third President Vice President: Aaron Burr; George Clinton Term of office: March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1809 Preceded by: John Adams Succeeded by: James Madison Date of birth: April 13, 1743 Place of birth: Shadwell, Virginia Date of death: July 4, 1826 Place of death: Charlottesville, Virginia First Lady... Title page of an early Federalist compilation. ...

See science fiction writer David Barr Kirtley's examination of this concept in his short story, "Veil of Ignorance." Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... David Barr Kirtley (1977- ) is an American short story writer. ... This article is in need of attention. ...