veiled
Original: veiled on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Title caption (top, over a dark mountainous landscape): In order to design society, we must imagine we are looking through a veil of knowledge!
Caption: At the annual colloquium of evil philosophers...
Panel 1: A philosopher in a suit (a man with light hair) addresses the audience.
Speaker: We must imagine we will be born in a society knowing all our future personal characteristics: gender, age, race, intelligence, talents, social status, and so on.
Panel 2: Another suited philosopher (a man with dark hair) responds.
Speaker: We must then each ask ourselves: how could I structure society so that by knowing this condition of birth for myself, I can benefit the most?
Panel 3: A figure with flame-like orange hair stands at a podium, gesturing dramatically.
Speaker (flame-haired figure): The society in which I can most minmax for personal gain is the one we should strive for - the one with the greatest amount of inequality!
Panel 4: The dark-haired philosopher replies.
Speaker: But evil John Rawls, evil Robert Nozick says we shouldn't focus on achieving inequality, but rather focus on a process in which all actions are unjust!
Panel 5: The flame-haired figure (evil John Rawls) gestures, arms raised.
Speaker (flame-haired figure): After all if we achieve inequality through fair and unjustified actions, no true evil has been accomplished!
Panel 6: The other speaker responds, hand on chin.
Speaker: Oh yeah? Well what if a sequence of unjust actions leads to a fair distribution of wealth in a prosperous society?!
Panel 7 (bottom, wide): A small character at the lower left objects while a crowd is gathered.
Speaker: Don't yell at me - I think you're both wrong. I'm an evil communitarian! I think evil deeds should be done in consideration of local traditions and historical context, not some high-flung abstract theory!
Large hand-lettered word across the bottom: BOOOORING.
Votey:
Handwritten text on a sticky note: Did you notice Plato's Cave.?
Caption: At the annual colloquium of evil philosophers...
Panel 1: A philosopher in a suit (a man with light hair) addresses the audience.
Speaker: We must imagine we will be born in a society knowing all our future personal characteristics: gender, age, race, intelligence, talents, social status, and so on.
Panel 2: Another suited philosopher (a man with dark hair) responds.
Speaker: We must then each ask ourselves: how could I structure society so that by knowing this condition of birth for myself, I can benefit the most?
Panel 3: A figure with flame-like orange hair stands at a podium, gesturing dramatically.
Speaker (flame-haired figure): The society in which I can most minmax for personal gain is the one we should strive for - the one with the greatest amount of inequality!
Panel 4: The dark-haired philosopher replies.
Speaker: But evil John Rawls, evil Robert Nozick says we shouldn't focus on achieving inequality, but rather focus on a process in which all actions are unjust!
Panel 5: The flame-haired figure (evil John Rawls) gestures, arms raised.
Speaker (flame-haired figure): After all if we achieve inequality through fair and unjustified actions, no true evil has been accomplished!
Panel 6: The other speaker responds, hand on chin.
Speaker: Oh yeah? Well what if a sequence of unjust actions leads to a fair distribution of wealth in a prosperous society?!
Panel 7 (bottom, wide): A small character at the lower left objects while a crowd is gathered.
Speaker: Don't yell at me - I think you're both wrong. I'm an evil communitarian! I think evil deeds should be done in consideration of local traditions and historical context, not some high-flung abstract theory!
Large hand-lettered word across the bottom: BOOOORING.
Votey:
Handwritten text on a sticky note: Did you notice Plato's Cave.?
Alt text
An SMBC comic titled 'In order to design society, we must imagine we are looking through a veil of knowledge!', set 'at the annual colloquium of evil philosophers.' Suited philosophers debate how to design the most evil society. One proposes imagining you are born knowing all your future traits (gender, age, race, intelligence, status) and structuring society to benefit yourself most. A flame-haired speaker, 'evil John Rawls,' insists the goal is maximum inequality, while 'evil Robert Nozick' argues evil should be a process of unjust actions rather than an unequal outcome. They trade philosophical paradoxes - unjust actions that yield fair outcomes, fair actions that yield inequality. A small character interrupts to declare himself an 'evil communitarian' who thinks evil deeds should respect local traditions and historical context, not abstract theory. A huge hand-lettered word 'BOOOORING' sprawls across the bottom, mocking the whole debate. Votey: a yellow sticky note reading 'Did you notice Plato's Cave.?' - a nod to the philosophy references packed into the comic.
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.