The Blissful Ignorance and the Idea of Original Position in Politics

The famous adage, “what you don’t know can’t hurt you,“ often holds truth in minor instances Yet, the world that John Rawls imagined extends that concept of absence into the arena of identity, with the idea of the “original position.” This abstraction is eventually undermined by the concept of identity politics in which characterization is at the heart of existence While Rawls’ thought experiment is one that challenges the status quo, the realization of identity politics has more impact on life as we know it John Rawls, in A Theory of Justice, constructs a thought experiment that he dubs the “original position This alternate society enforces a social contract in which the constituents lack the societal implications of labels and values assigned to each individual at birth, as no one knows their own or others‘ identifying factors He argues that people, without characteristic differences that eventually lead to inherent inequalities, will be mutually and rationally disinterested in distinctiveness, without even knowing so.

This “veil of ignorance” within a world of disregard serves as a source of equalizing liberty without the need for an individual’s biology to affect their position in society which allows for everyone’s advantage to be arranged in favor of certain inequalities Their status is unknown which limits influence on action based upon those identifying factors.

Therefore, individuals will naturally work for their own interest and advantage, without relation to the people surrounding them because their actions are not be fueled by competition. This system is place to guarantee everyone an equal social standing, not only equality of opportunity but equality of outcome, by enhancing the lack of realization of what individuals do and do not know.

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These epistemic constraints serve as a basis for achieving true equality within society, particularly in the political sphere.

The “original position” is part of Rawls’ much larger political conceptualization ofjustice as a means to fairness. Without identifying factors and the societal implications of those constructs, everyone experiences the same recognition and power within the political realml Therefore, everyone receives a political liberty comparable to the like of others’ liberties, and everyone holds the same precedence within the political system, There also remains an implication of everyone lending the same amount of interest within the political system, prompted by the fact that no one‘s identity shies them away from wanting to take action, This concept allows for an idealized fruition of political engagement, but the probability of implementation is slim The obvious critique of this theory is the inherent utopian attitude of the theory, and the lack of reality attached to the possibility of this social structure.

The probability of an instance where are identifying characteristics are wiped away from knowledge naturally are quite unlikelyt Furdaer, if the “original position” is a social contract in which individuals opt in, it is impossible to, once involved in the alternate lifestyle, forget personality and traits, as they are inherently ingrained into who we are and how we live our lives. Our opinions lie along the tangent of what is in our best interest, which is in line with this concept of “original position,” yet interest is rooted in our past experiences, which stems from the lives we will live and how our choices shape who we naturally are, in opposition to the “original position“ is identity politics, This is the concept that our political actions, involvements, and choices are fueled by our inherent characteristics, particularly social organizations including race, religion, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, language, and so on It is a popular force used by many minority groups to leverage their limited amounts of political power by using their own experiences based upon their identities to widen consciousness over their struggles.

The sole focus of this method of political activity is to recognize and organize around identifying factors in order to spark change. In ultimate reality, we will never get to a place of completely obstructing our identifying factors. The “original position” is merely a hypothetical situation that could be successful, but as a concept, it lacks the self-sufficiency to improve injustice within a political system, which identity politics serves to amend. Therefore, embracing our differences and making informed choices based upon our own personal experiences is the point of a political system that is “by the people, for the people.” It stimulates power within minority groups by promoting group solidarity, whether it be based solely upon identity factors or the ideologically»focused opinions that stem from those identities. According to Susan Bickford, in Anti-Anti-ldenu’ty Politics: Feminism, Democracy, and the Complexities of citizenship, the mobilization of these specifically driven groups is at the heart of the democratic process, by allowing them to use their identities as a “motivation” to find the passion to participate within politics.

When banding together, the separate marginalized voices band together and have a chance to voice their own concerns, even if there is not a representation of people “like them” within the constructs of societal power. Further, these groups allow the authorization of the identity groups to define their own membership, a piece of power that is often overlooked as unnecessary or auxiliary by the majority in power, Identity politics is and has been the way of politics within the United States. While the concept of the ”original position” eliminates the need for identity politics, it is a thought experiment by definition, and therefore lacks the proper avenue for implementation. Rather than uprooting the system in place with a hypothetical conceptualization of utopian politics, identity politics is most successful way to encourage active participation and equal representation within our democratic system.