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As part of a ‘live philosophy’ event here in Melbourne last week, we were invited to take part in a thought experiment based on John Rawls’ concept of ‘The Veil of Ignorance’. If you haven’t heard of it before, here’s how it works:
Imagine that you have been given the task of drawing up the basic principles of justice that would govern a new society in which you yourself would have to live. Before you begin, you are covered with the Veil of Ignorance, stripping you of all knowledge of your personal characteristics, social status and historical circumstances.
This means that while you are under the Veil of Ignorance, you do not know your age, gender, race, faith, intelligence, abilities or any other personal attributes. You have no idea of your position in society, your wealth or your social status. Only after you have created your guiding principles, the veil is lifted and you find out your place in society.
Since you have no way of tailoring the rules to your advantage, what guiding principles would you choose?
Rawls argues (and so did the speaker that night) that most rational individuals would choose two basic principles of justice. The first is the principle of equal basic liberties, which guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms for all, regardless of individual traits or circumstances. The second is the so-called ‘difference principle’, which allows social and economic inequalities only if they benefit the least advantaged members of society.
The Veil of Ignorance can be a powerful tool for thinking about justice and ethics, encouraging us to move away from self-interest towards a more equitable consideration of society as a whole. It challenges us to consider the fairness of our social institutions, strengthens our belief in the power of those institutions as an equalising force, and creates a more visceral sense of compassion for those less fortunate in the lottery of life.
– Kai
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Explore the World of Collage SPONSOR
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Collé, an email publication exploring the world of contemporary collage, highlights an artist from around the globe in each edition, giving readers a window into their creative practice. Sign up today to receive their weekly editions.
Collage by Mario Zoots
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Apps & Sites
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For those who want to take up running or improve their running performance, Supersonic is a great-looking iOS and Apple Watch app with some unique social, gamification and habit-building features. Friends of DD enjoy two months of Pro for free.
Become a Friend to access specials like this.
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Aboard is a mix of Airtable and Notion, ready to store and organise various types of data – from movies to watch, books to read or recipes to try. The app displays data in various formats and allows multiple people to collaborate on collections.
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Distraction-free web reader
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“Reader Mode is a Chrome reading extension and web app that removes clutter, ads and distractions, that also includes dyslexia support, read-it-later, highlighter, annotation, text-to-speech, citation generator and many other features all in one tool.” A handy little tool for those who want to fine-tune their on-screen reading experience – especially for those with a visual impairment.
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Encyclopedia of music gear
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If you’re a musician or just really into music, EquipBoard combines a buying guide for all sorts of musical equipment with a community and a database of well-known musicians and music producers and the gear they use.
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Worthy Five: Thomas Klaffke
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Five recommendations by ideas researcher and newsletter writer Thomas Klaffke
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A video worth watching:
This is a fascinating interview with Dr. Ian McGilchrist about our brain’s different perceptions of the world and how that influences the systems and mindsets that dominate our current world. It adds a new dimension to the notion of a poly- or meta-crisis and this feeling of a soulless or meaningless world that I believe many experience.
An Instagram account worth following:
I really like Baron Ryan’s (aka American Baron) short stories and the way he reframes certain topics. This one about work-life balance is particularly thought-provoking and funny.
A question worth asking:
‘What if what’s good for us humans is also good for the planet?’ This question suggests that what we currently define as prosperity might actually not be that good or healthy for us humans. It implies that measures to combat the ecological crisis and to readjust our relationship with nature may help us elevate humanity and create a new, better kind of prosperity.
A concept worth understanding:
“Facts don’t change minds, friendship does!” James Clear explains how convincing someone to change their mind is actually about convincing them to change their tribe. “Perhaps it is not difference, but distance that breeds tribalism and hostility.” Relevant in times of rising social polarisation.
A quote worth repeating:
We live in a world that’s very much stuck in old narratives and mindsets. We urgently need more imagination, creativity, and also a bit of punk. That’s why I really like Ursula K. Le Guin’s quote: “The exercise of imagination is dangerous to those who profit from the way things are, because it has the power to show that the way things are is not permanent, not universal, not necessary.”
(Did you know? Friends of DD can respond to and engage with guest contributors like Thomas Klaffke in one click.)
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Books & Accessories
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A manifesto against the heartless world
In this book, Turkish novelist and political commentator Ece Temelkuran puts forward a new narrative. One that helps build a world where we stand compassionately as one. “To choose determination over hope; to embrace fear rather the cold comfort of ignorance; to save our energy for an unwavering attention on those in power and the destructive systems they uphold, rather than wasting time spewing out anger and outrage online.”
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The secondhand fashion magazine
Founded and edited by an American writer living in Mexico City, Mildew is an annual, independent magazine telling stories about secondhand fashion that invite us to think about old clothes in new ways. I love this description on their About page: “A guide to dressing in the spirit of our times, Mildew revels in the decay of fashion as we knew it.” Friends of DD enjoy a 10% discount.
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Overheard on Bluesky
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It’s foolish to imagine yourself as immune to scams, but my strategy of never answering the phone for any purpose is pretty much rock solid.
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Food for Thought
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I loved this short piece by Anil Dash on how the podcast format is one of the few remaining open formats of the web: “Being able to say, ‘wherever you get your podcasts’ is a radical statement. Because what it represents is the triumph of exactly the kind of technology that’s supposed to be impossible: open, empowering tech that’s not owned by any one company, that can’t be controlled by any one company, and that allows people to have ownership over their work and their relationship with their audience.”
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Making changes to any car-related infrastructure – whether it’s removing car parking lots or making space for bicycle lanes – can be extremely contentious. But less so than a few years ago. More and more cities decide to reduce or outright ban cars from their centres. While making the change is incredible difficult, it’s almost never reversed, because once the change has been accepted, it’s almost always overwhelmingly popular. “Moreover, reforms elsewhere suggest that, despite initial resistance, car reduction plans steadily gain public acceptance in the long run. When the city of Ljubljana in Slovenia pedestrianised its city centre in 2007, opposition was considerable, with residents fearing restricted access to their homes – yet a little over decade later, roughly 90% said they were against reintroducing cars.”
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I’m a big fan of Ann Friedman’s writing and have followed her newsletter sporadically for many years. As Friedman went on maternity leave late last year, she published an intimate, serialised ten-piece essay, evocatively telling her emotional journey from not wanting children to accidentally getting pregnant to miscarrying to eventually deciding she does want a child and getting pregnant again. All the while, she struggles to identify as a mother-to-be and describes experiencing ‘joy-grief’ about the prospect of her life changing forever. The essay is unfortunately split over 10 newsletter issues, so currently the only way to read it is to open the last of the ten issues where you find links to all nine previous issues. I hope she republishes the essay in one piece once she returns from maternity leave.
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Aesthetically Pleasing
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Edgar Zepeda Diaz creates beautiful artworks using only natural broom straw glued on beeswax.
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In his works, Kyle Branchesi uses technology (including AI) to transform ordinary life into extra-ordinary circumstances. I loved the collection ‘The Motorist Won’: “Amidst a political landscape where the ‘war on motorists’ is wielded as a populist tool, this series captures a future where this rhetoric has prevailed.”
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Here’s an art practice you probably haven’t heard of before: Suro Hovsepyan carves microsculptures on a pencil lead, creating tiny works of art with his scalpel. His steady hands attract a Youtube audience of over 1.5 million.
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The versatile NewsSerif (and its sister NewsSans) offer a full toolbox for all editorial and typographic challenges – analogue or digital.
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Notable Numbers
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For the first time in its history, Uber ended the year 2023 having made more money than it spent on its ridehailing and delivery operations. The company reported an operating profit of $1.1 billion in 2023, compared to a $1.8 billion loss in 2022.
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Merging US crash data with a public data set on vehicle dimensions, a paper estimates a 10 cm (4 in) increase in the vehicle’s front-end height is associated with a 22% increase in fatality risk.
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A new analysis of two million white-collar jobs found fully remote employees are laid off 35% more often than their peers who work in-office or hybrid roles.
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Classifieds
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A Novel Tribe is a bi-weekly newsletter about fiction books and writing. Aimed at readers who don’t fit into boxes, it is your prompt to read more often and more deeply.
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The Week in a GIF
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Reply with your favourite GIF and it might get featured here in a future issue.
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