Half Time Post

In class we talked about equality; The concept that all people are not restricted by their means and are given equal chance to benefit their own life and society as a whole. Other definitions include equal opportunity in the military, jobs, education, and marriage.

1. In terms of the "veil of ignorance", Rawls says ignorance about ourselves will lead to a fair society for all people. Do we allow our class, race, ethnicity, and family background to interfere with the decisions we make towards society as a whole? Are we limited in life because of where we come from or how much money we have?

2. Does succeeding in todays society depend on whether you come from a wealthy background or any other type of social or economic advantage?

3. Regardless of family background or class, a person should be free to work and strive in any job in any society. Would our society today benefit from a merit based society, one in which people are rewarded for their efforts, not put down because of disadvantages we cannot control?

4. Will those with natural talents always get ahead of those with less of an advantage? For example, take two basketball players, but one with a natural born talent reaches the NBA and makes millions, beats out the other competitor who works hard to make himself better. How can we equal out the playing field to allow those with less of an advantage in life become just as successful as people with natural talent?