Rawls is not against equality but he assumes that most socio-economic systems will allow for some inequities, and thus outlines his second principle to deal with those inequities. In this system, the state is powerful enough to provide security for its people on a basic level, but also strives to ensure that no class in society becomes so marginalized and disenfranchised economically that it becomes impossible for any person on the bottom rungs of society to engage in self-improvement.

Rawls famously suggested that all societies should be created under what he calls a 'veil of ignorance,' or that rules and regulations should be constructed blindly when creating a society, without any knowledge of what the status of the decision-maker would be in the hypothetical world. In other words, when creating an ideal nation, would you be willing to live under the rules and conditions of the least-privileged members and regard...
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