Fairness as we are discussing means something like justice or equity. Something that is mutually satisfying, if not to the recipient, to disinterested observers.
We learn fairness at the dinner table, IMO. It's fair, but not equal, for parents to get a larger dish of food than small children, but not if it means that the children go hungry. It's fair to give everyone as much as it takes, or should take, to assuage hunger. If someone is greedy, it's not fair to give them more. It's not fair to give the older child more than the younger unless he is much larger. If it's a treat, like dessert, it's fair to divide it equally. If there are only two pieces left, it's fair to let one divide the portions, and the other one choose first. |
