Objectivity, Priority, and the Veil of Ignorance

Moreno Ternero, Juan D.; Roemer, John E.

Download This Paper

Open PDF in Browser

Add Paper to My Library

Objectivity, Priority, and the Veil of Ignorance

CORE Discussion Paper No. 2005/81

Moreno-Ternero, J.D., and Roemer, J., THE VEIL OF IGNORANCE VIOLATES PRIORITY, ECONOMICS AND PHILOSOPHY, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 233-257, 2008

24 Pages Posted: 26 Feb 2006 Last revised: 21 Aug 2011

See all articles by Juan D. Moreno Ternero

John E. Roemer

Yale University - Department of Political Science; Yale University - Cowles Foundation

Date Written: November 1, 2005

Abstract

The veil of ignorance has been used often as a tool of recommending what justice requires with respect to the distribution of wealth. We complete Harsanyi's model of the veil of ignorance by appending information permitting objective comparisons among persons. We show that the veil-of-ignorance conception of John Harsanyi, so completed, and Ronald Dworkin's, when modeled formally, recommend wealth allocations in conflict with the prominently espoused view that priority should be given to the disabled in wealth allocation.

Keywords: Impartiality, Objectivity, Priority, Veil of ignorance

JEL Classification: D63, D71

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Moreno-Ternero, Juan D. and Roemer, John E., Objectivity, Priority, and the Veil of Ignorance (November 1, 2005). CORE Discussion Paper No. 2005/81, Moreno-Ternero, J.D., and Roemer, J., THE VEIL OF IGNORANCE VIOLATES PRIORITY, ECONOMICS AND PHILOSOPHY, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 233-257, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=884453