Designing a Society

Warm-up · 5 min

Fair or Not Fair?

A quick spin to get us thinking about fairness before we build.

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How to play: I spin a situation. You have 15 seconds to say whether it's fair or not fair, and defend your answer in one full sentence. There are no right answers. The goal is to justify your view.

Useful phrases & idioms

it depends on... — the answer changes according to the situation
that's a double-edged sword — it has both good and bad sides
to level the playing field — to make a situation equal for everyone
at the end of the day — when everything is considered, ultimately
it rubs me the wrong way — it bothers me, it feels off

The scenario · 15 min

You're the Leader

One hundred strangers. A brand new island. And they've chosen you.

"You wash up on a desert island with 100 other survivors. Nobody knows each other. There are no rules, no government, nothing. On the first night, the group turns to you and says: 'You seem level-headed. Lead us. Tell us how this is going to work.'"

How do you allocate the jobs? Who fishes, who builds, who cooks, who guards? Do people choose, or do you assign them?

What is your number one priority in the first week? Survival, fairness, order, or morale?

What job would you take yourself? Would you do the hardest work, or the work you're best at?

What happens to someone who refuses to work but still wants to eat? Do they get a share?

How are big decisions made? Do you decide alone, put it to a vote, or pick a small council?

Someone falls ill and can't contribute for a month. Do they still get an equal share of food?

Two people both want the same role and both are good at it. How do you choose without causing resentment?

A year passes and you've built a little society. Should the best fishers get more than the rest? Why, or why not?

Useful phrases & idioms

to pull your weight — to do your fair share of the work
to put it to a vote — to let the group decide by voting
to lead by example — to do yourself what you ask of others
a free rider — someone who takes the benefits without doing the work
to have a say — to have the right to give your opinion in a decision

Thought experiment · 15 min

The Veil of Ignorance

Design the rules before you know who you'll be.

Now here's the twist. The philosopher John Rawls said we're all biased by our own situation. The rich person wants low taxes. The strong person wants few rules. So how do we ever agree on what's fair?

His answer: imagine you design the whole society from behind a "veil of ignorance." Behind the veil, you don't know who you'll be once it begins. You could be the richest or the poorest, the strongest or the weakest, healthy or ill, gifted or ordinary. You could be anyone.

Suddenly the questions change. If you might end up as the worst-off person on the island, what kind of island do you build now?

The liberty principle: everyone gets the most freedom possible, as long as it doesn't intrude on anyone else's.

The difference principle: gaps between rich and poor are only fair if they end up helping the worst-off, and any advantage must be open to everyone.

Go back to your island. You designed the rules as the leader. Now you don't know which of the 100 you'll be. Would you change anything?

Behind the veil, would you allow any gap at all between the best-off and the worst-off? Or make everyone perfectly equal?

Is it even possible to be impartial? Can anyone truly forget who they are and what they want?

Pick a real policy in your country (healthcare, tax, education). Would it survive the veil of ignorance?

Rawls judges a society by how it treats its worst-off. Do you agree that's the right measure? Why?

Is fairness the same as justice? Where might the two come apart?

Useful phrases & idioms

to put yourself in someone's shoes — to imagine how another person feels
the luck of the draw — when the outcome is down to pure chance
through no fault of your own — something bad you didn't cause or deserve
to have a vested interest — to have a personal stake, so you're not neutral
on a level footing — in an equal position, with the same chances

Key Vocabulary
to allocate verb allocation (n)	As leader, you have to allocate the jobs fairly. To divide something out and give each part to a person or purpose. similar: assign, distribute
impartial adjective impartiality (n)	A good leader stays impartial, even with their friends. Treating everyone equally, without taking sides. similar: unbiased, neutral, even-handed
inequality noun unequal (adj)	The gap between the richest and poorest is a stark inequality. An unfair gap between people in money, power or opportunity. similar: disparity, imbalance
privilege noun privileged (adj)	He didn't realise how much privilege he was born into. A special advantage some have and others don't, often just by luck. similar: advantage, head start
to prioritise verb priority (n)	In the first week you have to prioritise shelter over comfort. To decide what matters most and deal with it first. similar: put first, rank
to justify verb justification (n)	You can't just decide. You have to justify it to the group. To give good reasons for why something is right or fair. similar: defend, back up

Key Phrases
to pull your weight idiom	Everyone eats, so everyone has to pull their weight. To do your fair share of the work. similar: do your bit
the worst-off noun phrase	A fair society is judged by how it treats the worst-off. The people in the weakest, most disadvantaged position. similar: the least fortunate
to put it to a vote fixed phrase	Rather than decide alone, let's put it to a vote. To let the group decide something by voting. similar: take a vote
through no fault of your own fixed expression	Some people are born poor through no fault of their own. Used when something bad happens that you didn't cause or deserve. similar: not your doing
to put yourself in someone's shoes idiom	Before you judge, put yourself in their shoes. To imagine how another person feels in their situation. similar: see it from their side