History Analysis / OriginalPositionFallacy

So, Bob is not unbiased, although he might believe he is. In either case, his bias can be turned against him! And thus, he might open up for someone to pull an OriginalPositionGambit on him, or even be deluded enough to pull one on himself. A villain pulling a full-scale OriginalPositionGambit will exploit his bias to the fullest, making him make value judgements and accept their rules based on his ''current'' position and [[TheWindowOrTheStairs then make him stand for his statements]] when he is in a very different position — one that they planned for him all along.

Let ''these'' people sort out the issues of class, race, and gender. A poor person will be inclined to be for free schools and extensive social security, while a rich person will be inclined to refuse to pay such taxes since he can fend for himself and his own children anyway. But what about a person who doesn't know if he's rich or poor? That person would be more neutral and have a greater chance to form an unbiased opinion. And while such a person doesn't exist, we can consider [[WhatWouldXDo what kind of opinion they would have if they did exist]]. While a ScienceFiction story might actually give a character such a useful amnesia, more mundane usages of the principle are far more common -- and usually far less {{Author Tract}}y.

So, Bob is not unbiased, although he might believe he is. In either case, his bias can be turned against him! And thus, he might open up for someone to pull an OriginalPositionGambit on him, or even be deluded enough to pull one on himself. A villain pulling a full-scale OriginalPositionGambit will exploit his bias to the fullest, making him make value judgements and accept their rules based on his ''current'' position and then make him stand for his statements when he is in a very different position - one that they planned for him all along.

Let ''these'' people sort out the issues of class, race, and gender. A poor person will be inclined to be for free schools and extensive social security, while a rich person will be inclined to refuse to pay such taxes since he can fend for himself and his own children anyway. But what about a person who doesn't know if he's rich or poor? That person would be more neutral and have a greater chance to form an unbiased opinion. And while such a person doesn't exist, we can consider [[WhatWouldXDo what kind of opinion they would have if they did exist]]. While a ScienceFiction story might actually give a character such a useful amnesia, more mundane usages of the principle are far more common - and usually far less {{Author Tract}}y.

So, Bob is not unbiased, although he might believe he is. In either case, his bias can be turned against him! And thus, he might open up for someone to pull and OriginalPositionGambit on him, or even be deluded enough to pull one on himself. A villain pulling a full-scale OriginalPositionGambit will exploit his bias to the fullest, making him make value judgements and accept their rules based on his ''current'' position and then make him stand for his statements when he is in a very different position - one that they planned for him all along.