Positive discrimination and fair representation.

I was impressed by a statement made by my father. Upon thinkng about it, I deduced the significance of affirmative action. 

"The projections of the mind can be over come by dettached and objective perception." - My father 

What he means by this is, every mind sees the reality through it's own glasses which are made by past experiences, socialization, etc. Thus, in order to see the world as objectively as possible, one needs to think beyond oneself, i.e. think institutionally and go into the shoes of all stake holders. 

This was precisely what John Rawls intended when he theorized that a truly just or fair society would be first conceptualized behind a 'Veil of Ignorance'. Behind this veil, no person would know anything about their own social/ economic/political/religious/educational/ racial or any kind of background. This position was named by him as the 'original position'. 

It is a well know fact that each person's senses do not have the same sensitivity. Thus, the same objects are perceived differently by different people. Thus, it is better to not expect people to understand us. Consequently, no other person can decide what we want better than ourselves. 

However, class or collective consciousness does exist. This consciousness also has a mind of it's own. By class consciousness, I mean a group of people who relate to each other owning to common positions in the society. For example, students, women, tribals, labourers, etc. Such groups have a better understanding of the needs and aspirations of themselves. Eckhart Tolle, in his widely acclaimed book titled ' Power of now' has written that women who experience pain during menstruation are actually experiencing the pain that exists in the class consciousness of women. This pain has been built up by years of subjugation and discrimination. 

Thus, since the said 'orginal position' is an otherworldly proposition, affirmative action is the real world solution. 

Thus, in order for the State to function in a fair way, it's consciousness needs to think objectively. Given that it's members are bound to be subjective, the only way is fair representation for dialogue regarding the distribution of power and resources.