Sentence examples for veiled self-interest from inspiring English sources
The phrase "veiled self-interest" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where someone's true motives are hidden behind a facade of altruism or concern for others. Example: "While she presented her proposal as a benefit to the community, many saw it as veiled self-interest aimed at boosting her own reputation."
Is it pure altruism or thinly veiled self-interest?
Whether or not Lord Balfour would have approved of the high concentration of start-ups in today's Israel (more per capita than Silicon Valley!) is a weird thing to bring up when considering the last 100 years in the Middle East, but thinly veiled British self-interest is true to the spirit of the Balfour Declaration.
I've grown weary of the "body positive" posts that are actually just veiled self-criticism.
For a Machiavellian, Burnham wrote, politics was an unending war for dominance: democracy was a myth, and all ideologies were thinly veiled rationalisations for self-interest.
Muslims are undoubtedly less popular and more reviled than Christians, but it is a safe general assumption that anyone who claims their actions are informed by Christian principles will be assumed to be arguing from false premises and self-interest veiled by self-deception.
A similar problem arises for those like Rawls who seek to base the social contract on some modification of self-interested behaviour such as self-interest behind the veil of ignorance.
In essence, Rawls uses self-interest behind a veil of ignorance to represent a commitment to justice, construed as fairness to all.
But Rawls made a far greater blunder when he posited that individuals behind the veil of ignorance would not be acquisitive ("self-interest" is not an entry in the index to his book) but would be highly risk-averse.
Proponents might avoid this dilemma by assuming that individuals behind the veil of ignorance will make decisions based purely on self-interest, unconstrained by moral limits or considerations.
Yet, individuals behind the veil of ignorance who make decisions based solely on self-interest might well allow this study on the grounds that it offers a positive cost-benefit ratio overall: the high risks to a few subjects are clearly outweighed by the potential to save the lives of millions.
We no longer need the thought experiment of a veil of ignorance to order the preferences of a just society; enlightened self-interest can show us the way.
