AI researcher lays out three core weaknesses in Rawls' original position argument
panickssery · x · 2026-09-20
AI researcher panickssery ran a thread on X critiquing John Rawls' A Theory of Justice, responding to a question about the school's most obvious weaknesses.
His core objection: Rawls simply assumes people in the original position would adopt maximal risk aversion for no reason. He adds more:
- The argument against utilitarianism is very handwavy
- Growth isn't accounted for; Rawls elsewhere essentially advocates a stationary state
- Other moral theories go unaddressed—the original position may not compel people who already exist today
He notes this discourse resurfaces on Twitter about once a day in the form of a "lottery of souls" framing.
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