Fairness - a philosophical approach

One of the thinkers I learned about in business school were John Rawls (1921–2002). He was an American political philosopher known for his theory of justice as fairness. A central concept in Rawls' theory is the "veil of ignorance," a thought experiment designed to ensure fairness in the distribution of resources and social goods.

What is veil of ignorance? Imagine that you are tasked with designing the principles of a society, but you do not know what position you will occupy in that society. You do not know whether you will be rich or poor, healthy or sick, your ethnicity or gender, or your talents and preferences. This ignorance compels you to make decisions that are fair for everyone, as you could end up in any position.

Rawls' argument is that if we are uncertain about our own position in society, we will create rules and principles that ensure fairness for all, particularly for the most vulnerable. This is because no one would want to risk creating a society where they might end up in a highly disadvantaged position.