Prof Vasti Roodt — Univ Stellenbosch | Dept of Philosophy

If you could press pause on society, how would you redesign it?

In this episode I speak to Professor Vasti Roodt about a theory of justice (fairness) that might be the key to building a better world for everyone, regardless of their social standing or resources.

Vasti is an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Stellenbosch, and the Head of the Unit for Social and Political Ethics in the Centre for Applied Ethics. She holds an MA and DPhil (Philosophy) from USB. Her research focuses on moral and political philosophy.

In November last year I had the opportunity to attend a leadership retreat on the beautiful Boschendal wine estate hosted by Vasti and her colleagues. The retreat was aimed at introducing the fundamental tenets of the philosophical endeavour to business executives who wanted to take a more conscious, considered look at value creation in today's complex world. She presented a model for justice based on John Rawls' A Theory of Justice (1971) which I found deeply intriguing and challenging. It wasn't my first introduction to Rawls' work, but one of the more accessible explorations of his fascinating thought experiment and proposal for a more fair society.

I really enjoyed the retreat and have stayed in touch with the faculty since.

Key quote:

"What could ever be the justification for suggesting that one person deserves to be more free than another?" -- Prof Vasti Roodt A video introduction to John Rawls' Theory of Justice · MikeStopforth.com · Connect with Mike on LinkedIn · Follow Mike on Twitter · 48h crisis communication consultancy