The Veil of Ignorance or The New Order Group Project

(with thanks to Margaret Drabble's novel, The Witch of Exmoor, for inspiring this project)

Group Brainstorming

Unimagine Everything You Are

Create a Society in which You Would Be Willing to Live if You Didn’t Know in advance Your own Place in the Society…

You don’t know if you’re rich or poor, able or disabled, brilliant or mentally challenged, plain or beautiful, male or female, member of a minority or majority racial group, strong or weak, an optimist or a pessimist, a rebel or a traditionalist, fertile or infertile, straight or gay...

You don’t know if the society will be rich or poor, undeveloped or technologically advanced, rapidly growing or declining...

Don’t Expect to be Yourself

Don’t Expect the Society to be Anything You Recognize

Discuss and Decide the Society’s Primary Principles of Human Justice:

Cultural Contexts

What are the primary values in your society?

What kind of religion(s) does your society practice? Why?

What rituals does your society observe? Why?

What art does your society value? Why?

Who is educated in your society? How? Why?

What skills are valued in your society? Why?

What roles do science and technology have in your society?

How is wealth distributed in your society?

Briefly describe the political system of your society.

Personal Characteristics

Citizen	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Sex	F	M	F	M	F	M	F	M	F
Wealth	rich	rich	poor	poor	middle	middle	middle	middle	middle
Race	majority	majority	majority	minority	minority	minority	majority	majority	majority
IQ	average	high	low	average	high	low	average	average	average
Health	able	disabled	able	able	able	disabled	able	able	able
Outlook	pessimist	optimist	optimist	pessimist	pessimist	optimist	optimist	pessimist	optimist
Stance	rebellious	traditional	traditional	rebellious	traditional	traditional	rebellious	traditional	traditional
Fertility	fertile	fertile	fertile	fertile	infertile	fertile	fertile	infertile	fertile
Sexuality	gay	straight	straight	straight	straight	gay	straight	straight	straight
Appearance	beautiful	ugly	average	beautiful	ugly	average	average	average	average

Given the personal characteristics you have inherited, discuss your life in the society that your group has created.

Are your basic needs being met? If not, why not?

Can you fulfill your desires? How about your dreams?

What is your career?
What are your ambitions?

Is your family situation satisfactory?

What is unsatisfactory about your society?

Can you and will you work to change your society? How?

Are you happy? Is happiness important?

Are you fulfilled? Is fulfillment important?

How’s your love life? Is love important?

What is your attitude toward the future?

Return to: Syllabus

Return to: HUM 2210