Original Position
Updated 2026-09-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The original position is the central device of Rawls's contractarian account of justice as fairness in A Theory of Justice. It is designed as the fair and impartial standpoint we should take when reasoning about fundamental principles of justice, in which we think of ourselves as free and equal persons. It is a procedure for discovering principles, not a description of any actual bargain.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Withdraw the standpoint: screen out your own situation behind the veil before judging the rules. - Filter principles: test an arrangement by how it treats the least advantaged. - Detect bias: check whether a claim depends on the accident of talent or birth.
Anchor fast decisions
Fairness is secured by the veil of ignorance: once class, talent, and other contingent information are hidden, no one can tailor principles to their own case. In that symmetric situation, rational choice favors principles that protect the least advantaged, since anyone might end up at the bottom and the maximin rule is the prudent one. Impartiality is thereby converted from a motive into a feature of the situation.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- plato.stanford.eduhttps://plato.stanford.edu/entries/original-position/verified
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