Vox populi, vox dei: Endogenous social choice and the rational original position

May 2001.

Respectful or endogenous social choice is social choice wanted by the members of the society. Unanimity is hampered by self-centeredness which, however, should be laundered away for revealing individuals’ conceptions of justice which should be impartial. The remaining much smaller differences in individuals’ views are resolved in various ways. The conceptual problem of each individual jointly carring for all others as she does for herself is notably faced by the theories of the original position, whose problem raised by the necessary multiplicity of individuals’ original evaluations is consistently faced by a regress of original positions, and can also be faced by original aggregations or a genuine original social contract. However, the différences between a choice of justice and an individual choice in uncertainty lead to other solutions which consider justice as the notional general extension of other close social relations between persons.

Vox populi, vox dei: Endogenous social choice and the rational original position