In an earlier post I suggested that there would be widespread
agreement that a good society would provide members with a
degree of personal economic security against potential threats
to individual flourishing, including misfortunes such as
accidents, ill-health and unemployment. (See: What are the
characteristics of a good society?) In suggesting that there
would be widespread agreement about this I had in mind that
nearly everyone would tend to be somewhat risk averse if they
had to choose what kind of society to live in without any
knowledge of their own personal circumstances. Rather than
focusing exclusively on the median (or most likely) outcome of
their choice I think nearly everyone would have some regard to
what their quality of life might be like in various societies if
they were to draw the short straw in terms of parentage, health,
intelligence, good looks and good luck. (How people would
actually respond to such a thought experiment is an empirical
question. I recall reading somewhere that John R