Original Position

Political Philosophy

In John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice treatise, the ‘original position’ was defined as a pre-political abstraction from reality in which a group of people who know nothing about themselves, such as their age, gender, or even names, are asked to choose principles of justice that could serve as the standard for a constitution, laws, and adjudication mechanisms. The most rational choices made from behind such a “veil of ignorance”, Rawls contended, would result in equal rights and liberties for all; equality of educational and employment opportunities; and a guaranteed minimum of means.