The point of this exercise is to make you think about what fairness looks like. If there's a good chance you're going to be born poor, you might see the point of having certain protections for the poor. If there's a 50 percent chance you'll be born a woman, you'll probably reject the model of society found in “The Handmaid's Tale.” In short, the veil of ignorance allows us see justice through the lens of self-interest.