A fair society

Let’s just assume that it was 24 hours before you were born and a genie came to you and he said, “Herb, you look very promising and I’ve got a big problem. I’ve got to design the world in which you’re going to live and … I’ve decided … it’s too tough, you design it.” … You say, “I can design anything? … There must be a catch.” He says, “Well, there is a catch. You don’t know whether you’re going to be born black or white, rich or poor, male or female, infirm or able-bodied.…” You’re going to participate in what I call the ovarian lottery. You’re going to get one ball out of there and that is the most important thing that’s ever going to happen to you in your life. That is going to control whether you’re born here or in Afghanistan, or whether you’re born with an IQ of 130 or an IQ of 70…. I think that’s a good way to look at social questions, because not knowing what ball you’re going to get, you’re going to want to design a system that includes lots of goods and services, because you’re going to want people—on balance—to live well. And you’re going to want it to produce more and more so your kids are going to live well and your grandchildren are going to live better than your kids, but you’re also going to want a system that … does not leave behind a person who accidentally got the wrong ball.