Episode 47 - The Veil of Ignorance

Contemplation With Conor · May 27, 2026 · 4m

What would fairness look like if you had no idea who you’d be in society? Philosopher John Rawls invites us to imagine standing behind a “veil of ignorance,” where our race, gender, class, and status are hidden from us as we choose the rules of the world. In this episode, we explore how this thought experiment challenges our ideas of justice, empathy, and privilege—and asks whether true fairness might mean building a society we’d accept, no matter the position we end up in.