...The principle of the veil of ignorance that was developed by John Rawls claimed that when a person should change the rules in the society he did not know about his social category. As a matter of fact, it appears that the rules of the organizational transformation are quite obscure (Forbes.com, 2015). That is why, if I was hired as a manager for the African company I would implement the following reorganizations. First of all, in order to increase working performance of the African employees it might be useful to take them on the positions of supervisors. By the way, this decision could potentially reduce inequality on the basis of ethnicity. Therefore, it appears that the introducing of this new rule may be quite useful for the organizations....
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...The third aspect considers whether all rational beings, thinking rationally, should accept it regardless of whether they are the agent or the receiver of the action” (DeGeorge 67). While considering a principle or action, we must also consider it from the point of view of the receiver. John Rawls, a deontological philosopher, created a way to apply this categorical imperative by using a veil of ignorance to consider whether a practice is fair to all affected parties. “A fair or just solution is one that all would agree to behind a veil of ignorance” (DeGeorge 78). As a stakeholder in a pharmaceutical company, one believes that direct-to-consumer drug advertising is fair and moral because they want to market their products by informing the...
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...Rawls’ Veil of Ignorance Rawls assumes that behind the veil of ignorance one would select the best decision that adheres to the two principals of justice. However, the lack of knowledge provided behind the veil of ignorance seems to do more harm than good to the decision maker. For example, if one behind the veil were to choose their economic system for their society; they might have a hard time selecting between a free market or socialized economy based off of simple facts. Though both have been practiced in reality it is not entirely possible to truly understand which competing scenario works the best for all participants given the amount of sample time and other factors that have influenced economics for the past 100 years. Therefore, from a rawlsian perspective one would not know which system provides the better benefits least advantaged. Behind the veil of ignorance one would only know the general facts about the world that they are entering, and even the restriction on the lack of knowledge of one’s personal place with in the system would not do much to solve the problem without more concise data, which is prohibited behind the veil. The lack of specific data handicaps the decision maker behind the veil of ignorance, potentially leading them to selecting the least right decision for their society. Even with reflective equilibrium this would allow decision makers unknowingly break the second principal of justice, thus unraveling his argument, as to truly understand the...
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...unless an unequal distribution of these values is to everyone’s advantage, his argument is flawed by his reliance on the veil of ignorance and his two principles of justice that are difficult to apply in society. Imagine that you have set for yourself the task of developing a totally new social contract for today's society. How could you do so fairly? Although you could never actually eliminate all of your personal biases and prejudices, could you take steps at least to minimize them? In his book, A Theory of Justice, Rawls attempts to argue a position to do this very thing. He asks us to imagine a fantastic scene: a group of people are gathered to plan their own future society, hammering out the details of what will basically become a Social Contract. Rawls calls this the “Original Position.” In the Original Position, the future citizens do not yet know what part they will play in their upcoming society. They must design their society behind what Rawls calls the Veil of Ignorance. Rawls says in his book titled the A Theory of Justice, “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.” (John 1971, Pg. 137.) Rawls suggests that you imagine yourself in an original position behind a veil of ignorance. Behind this veil, you know nothing of yourself and your natural abilities, or your position in...
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...#2) Rawls’ original position and the veil of ignorance play a part with each other and focus on how a state will ultimately end up if people decide to form a social contract. Considering there are differences between people, such as social status, education, endurance, sex, race, etc…, Rawls says to imagine a veil of ignorance so decisions are not influenced from a place of self-interest. When individual persons part of a society, put a veil of ignorance each individual will disregard and eliminate bias notions amongst each other in that society including their own self. “Let us assume, to fix ideas, that society is a more or less self-sufficient association of persons who in their relations to one another recognize certain rules of conduct as binding and who for the most part act in accordance with them.” (Nozick, XB pg. 94-95 Para. 5) Rawls is assuming here that a society put aside their differences and acts accordingly by way of tacit acknowledgement concerning rules of conduct that connect them to each other. The veil of ignorance is a significant part of Rawls’ original position. This gives Rawls’ concept of original position because there are no biases or judgmental decisions made and everyone in that society seeks the benefit of each other. Original position is then assumed since everyone in the supposed society is equal and has no bias opinions due to the veil of ignorance. Even though the original position is assumed and “…these rules specify a system of cooperation...
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...English 3 20 March 2015 Proud Puritans! An essay on Elements of Theme in N.H. The Minister’s Black Veil The standards to which we hold ourselves decides how we pass on judgment or criticism to others,which sometimes leads to lost lessons due to judgemental tendencies and premature judgement. Such things are examined in the Puritan text The Minister’s Black Veil through the use of location,time of setting,and what is visually described. All these elements materialize into the overall theme of the piece. Puritan society was driven by religious beliefs and restricted acceptance of other religions or beliefs that tried to coexist with their own. The puritan text establishes its story in a church;,to the Puritans it was the purest place where only God could judge them.The Puritans took pride in believing that they were sanctified due to how strictly they followed the bible and prayed to God.When the Minister arrived to church with a black veil covering his face they feared and hated him for it. Yet they still held the name Puritans and “purity” so close to their society. They contradict things like the aforementioned throughout the text seen by how they judge the Minister profusely. “Something must surely be amiss with Mr.Hooper’s intellects”... (Hawthrone pg 241) “How strange.” said a lady…(Hawthrone pg 241) The people of the church socially exile the minister instead of seeing the lessons of his actions, a lesson they do not learn until he passes away. The time period...
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...Name Professor Course Date Why does Mills think that Utilitarianism provides the foundation for Justice and why does Rawls reject it? Introduction The concept of utilitarianism is one that has engulfed the philosophical arena with an obscene number of arguments that support and/or criticize it. Generally, utilitarianism is a theory in normative ethics that defines an action as one that ensures maximum utility. Other schools of thought would like to put it as the concept of “maximizing happiness while reducing suffering” (Mills 3).In as much as utilitarianism has continued to receive applause from people and the political scene, other divergent scholars has come up with other theories that seek to compromise the philosophies under which the concept of utilitarianism operates. As a result, utilitarianism has become subject to contradictions from other theories in the field of ethics. The thinking class in other fields of utilitarianism characterizes in as a quantitative yet reductionist approach to ethics (Mills 3). Over time, the concept of utilitarianism has received ideological threats from; deontological ethics which does not assign moral worth to an action based on its consequences, virtue ethics that solely deals with action and habits that results to happiness, pragmatic ethics and other forms of ethics that backs the idea of consequentialism. In a nut shell, the concept of utilitarianism as defined by political philosophers and in relation to justice is becoming...
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...u05a1 Parameters of Ethical Decision Making Kathleen J Higgins Ethical Theories and Principle are decision making tools that managers may use especially during ethical dilemma. There are five common ethical decision making approaches that can assist manager based upon what is good in each situation. Utilitarianism or consequentialism, as just what its term “consequentialism” means. This paradigm is developed [originally] by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John S. Mill (1806-1873). Judges one’s action based on the maximums of the good in the world. In this approach, the manager evaluates how the decision will affect [directly] the employee(s) and others. The managers identify the potential positive and potential negative consequences. If it will results “to the greatest good and for the greatest number,” the manager using the utilitarian approach is feasibly will make dubious decision. Utilitarian ideology is that it is ethical if the result will only give the “greatest advantages and benefits, and to the greatest number of people.” The theory seems to point out a situation in which it seems to provide the wrong answer to an ethical dilemma. I think of Dr. Kevorkian a good example using this approach. As this approach contemplates both bad and good, utilitarian’s rationale in this situation was to stop the pain for the suffering patient and maybe stop the financial...
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...unjust. John Rawls’ theory starts with the “original position,” in which people make decisions or legislate laws behind what is called a “Veil of Ignorance.” Behind this “veil,” Rawls deprives us of any knowledge of our own attributes under which we know everything we need to about human nature generally, but nothing about ourselves – this includes gender, position, assets, professions, etc. The “veil” allows us to be objective and impartial and choose principles of basic fairness. We choose to lessen the downside of the society as a whole. Rawls uses a thinking experiment in which one puts themselves in a hypothetical reality where one is in the “original position.” Through this, individuals can decide how to set up a society by establishing principles of justice to be governed by. His thought experiment can be translated in a way where if we didn’t know what our positions in society would be, we would be more concerned for everyone equally. Basically, if it is possible for us to be in the least-advantaged status of a society, we will be a lot more concerned for the overall general welfare. If everyone starts off in the same position, it makes agreement between everyone much easier. The “veil” is a way of eliminating bias that makes the “original position” a just way of choosing basic principles. When we put ourselves behind this “veil,” Rawls believes the outcome would be that every individual would act upon their own self-interest. I agree with this theory, although...
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...Governance and management Quality can be enhanced by better management practices, transparency in the use of resources, and accountability mechanisms to communities and other stakeholders. Mechanisms for promoting ownership and accountability through participatory planning deserve increased attention. Issues of governance go beyond ensuring better management of the public sector. They include a concern for increasing ownership by different stakeholders at different levels. One strand of the research focuses on centralization/decentralization to answer questions about what responsibilities within education systems (such as recruitment of teachers, control of budgets, design of curricula) are most appropriately located at national, provincial, district and/or school levels in countries of different sizes and cultures. The research also takes into consideration the distribution of responsibilities within particular levels, e.g. at the national level between national ministries of basic education, higher education, finance, planning, etc. A second strand focuses on management of skills development and training. Expansion of opportunities for young people who have completed basic education does not imply exclusive attention to traditional models of formal education. Attention is given to alternative models and to non-formal modes which can serve out-of-school youths. Learners in modes of post-basic education pay attention to the demands of the labour market. This requires...
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...Shaw and Barry distinguish two forms of utilitarianism. What are these two forms? Briefly describe each. Utilitarianism is the idea that we should always act to produce the greatest possible balance of good over bad for everyone affected by our actions. Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, both philosophers, used the utilitarian standard to evaluate and criticize the social and political institutions of their day. And, as a result, utilitarianism has long been associated with social improvement. The two forms of utilitarianism are act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism, utilitarianism in its most basic version, states that we must calculate what the consequences are of a particular act in a particular situation, and what it will be for all those affected. And, if its consequences bring more total good than those of any alternative course of action, then this action is the right one and the one we should inform. Rule utilitarianism maintains that the utilitarian standard should be applied not to individual actions but to moral codes as a whole. The rule utilitarian asks what moral code, or set of morals, a society should adopt to maximize happiness. The principles that make up that code would then be the basis for distinguishing right actions from wrong actions. Same as any other theory, these theories can be thought to contain flaws- i.e. not being able to predict the future and this uncertainty can lead to unexpected results making the utilitarian...
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...1. Shaw and Barry distinguish two different forms of utilitarianism. What are these two forms? Briefly describe each and use examples. The two forms of utilitarianism are act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism states we must ask ourselves what the consequences of a particular act in a particular situation will be for all those affected. If its consequences bring more net good than those of any alternative course of action, then this action is the right one and the one we should perform. (Shaw and Barry, p. 60) The other form is rule utilitarianism. Rule utilitarianism states the utilitarian standard should be applied not to the individual actions but to moral codes as a whole. The principles that make up the moral code would be the basis for distinguishing right actions from wrong actions. (Shaw and Barry, p. 77) An example of act utilitarianism is a drug company releasing a drug that was approved with known side effects. The drug is able to help more people than the amount that are bothered by the minor side effects. An example of rule utilitarianism is the type of seating on an aircraft. There are different classes on the aircraft: first, business, and economy. The first or business class seats are more expensive but they come with more conveniences. However, the higher prices of seats help to cover the airline’s financial burden of the economy seats. (Workplace Example of Utilitarianism Ethics, 2014) 2. What do economists mean by the “declining...
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...A Theory of Justice, by John Rawls Tier III 415A Home Page A Theory of Justice, by John Rawls, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971. This outline of an extended book review is based in large part on notes composed by Darrell Huwe. I have attempted with limited success to understand Rawls' book - please do not regard this as being in any sense an authoritative summary of Rawls' thought. I personally find this book particularly difficult to penetrate, perhaps because my training is in the physical sciences rather than philosophy, and I generalize quite beyond the evidence when I suspect that others also find it less than accessible. I hope that this review is helpful. The Chronicle of Higher Education has published an article, "The Enduring Significance of John Rawls", by Martha Nussbaum. John Rawls died at age 81 on November 24, 2002. Dick Piccard General Conception All social primary goods - liberty and opportunity, income and wealth, and the bases of self-respect are to be distributed equally unless an unequal distribution of any or all of these goods is to the advantage of the least favored. Social Contract John Locke: Free people need to agree on some ground rules in order to live together in harmony. Utilitarianism John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham: Act so as to maximize good (pleasure) in the aggregate. Later twist: minimize pain. From either perspective, your actions are judged good or bad depending on the consequences they have for you and...
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...is his answer to how happiness to a degree can be achieved since utilitarianism is one of the most scrutinized theories because in many cases, i believe promotes Liberalism in some sense. His alternative incorporates making decisions under uncertainty and maxim. They work hand in hand because the maximum of uncertainty should be appealing to all in charge of decision making. they are all equal in the fact that none should feel embarrassment or shame to another. No one is higher than another. Rawls continues after talking about the veil of ignorance, by speaking of the rationality of parties. Rawls begins by telling us included in the veil of ignorance, he assumes that the people making these guidelines, are both rational and don't fully understand in depth what " good" may consist of. Though unaware of what good may fully consist of, it wouldn't be guess work. These people will think of basic things they find important because after the veil is removed they are unaware of their place in...
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...One of Rawls main arguments that he states governs a just society rests upon the claim that a group of rational, self-interested people cloaked behind a hypothetical “veil of ignorance” would choose to include the moral well being of non-human animals. This is known as the “veil of ignorance argument” to which Rowlands imagines there are rational agents who are unknown to the lives they will live and lead in the world. The representatives behind the veil of ignorance would be blind to species membership in a similar way they are blind to social, economic status, and natural talent and therefore Rowlands thinks that this would make animals become the recipients of Rawlsian justice. Each person would attempt to make their conclusion for the best life possible no matter what position they are put into the...
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