LSAT 148 | Section 2 | Reading Comprehension: Q6

RC Question 6 Explanation

DISCUSSION: Lines 49-51 say that:

• Everybody in our world would agree that
• Every person in the new world should have
• A minimum quantity of each primary good

The primary goods are: rights, liberties, powers, opportunities, income and wealth.

The reasoning was:

1. We don’t know who we will be in the new world
2. Every person wants a minimum quantity of these primary goods for themselves
3. Therefore, when designing a new world we would surely want each hypothetical person to have that minimum, so that we have no risk of missing them.

To prephrase this, you can try to think which of the steps in the reasoning above you yourself might disagree with, when crafting an ideal world. But honestly, it’s probably easier just to think about the answers and think “ah yes, that’s a reasonable point” when you see the right one. I hadn’t prephrased this.

___________

1. Rawls’ theory is aware of this, and deals with it. Since you are behind the “veil of ignorance”, you won’t know your position in the new society. Therefore, your interest is in making sure that everyone has a decent life. That way you have no risk of having a bad one.
2. Rawls was proposing a thought experiment. He didn’t think his idea was possible in practice, so this answer is no objection.
3. CORRECT. If this is true, then people might prefer a world where some participants have no power, but massive athletic ability, or massive income, for example. You might be happy as a super rich athlete with no political power, for example. This would counter Rawls’ argument that his idea would produce a world where everyone had a minimum of all types of primary goods.
4. The author didn’t say that people will get only a minimum of primary goods. They said they will get at least a minimum of primary goods. So people might have far more than the minimum. 
5. I’m not sure this matters. People creating the new society will be distributing everything up front. An overestimate is something that happens before you start distributing. Once you are distributing, I’m not sure overestimation is even possible. Likewise, you won’t know your own needs, because when you are behind “the veil of ignorance” you won’t know your position in the new society.