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> Fair, by definition, is when the market reaches equilibrium. This is absurd. "The market" is amoral: it's just a collection of human behaviors that are shape
by drewrv 4y ago
> Fair, by definition, is when the market reaches equilibrium.
This is absurd. "The market" is amoral: it's just a collection of human behaviors that are shaped by laws, culture, and customs. All of those can change, the law can change quite easily.
- dvt 4y ago> "The market" is amoral Yeah, exactly. Fairness in the marketplace is purely a math problem, no morality involved.
- drewrv 4y agoI feel like you’re using the word “fair” in an econ 101 sense, not in the way most people use it. “The market reached equilibrium” with child labor and indentured servitude. Most people consider child labor unfair, so law/culture/customs changed how the market operates. Even within the narrow definition of “fairness” in economics you still have externalities. This can become really tricky and require ethical considerations beyond a “pure math” problem.
- dvt 4y ago> Most people consider child labor unfair No, they consider child labor, slavery, indentured servitude, etc. unjust. You could easily come up with a thought experiment where every child (prince or pauper) has to partake in forced labor. This would be fair, but it would still be unjust.
- bigfudge 4y agoBut fairness without morality is just a nonsense. It’s an equilibrium. fairness requires some moral perspective.
- dvt 4y ago> fairness requires some moral perspective It does not; you might be thinking of "justice." Even animals have a primal sense of fairness without the moral baggage (e.g. every dog gets one treat, etc.).
- bigfudge 4y agoI take you point in part (justice is the stronger version) but fairness as you describe only occurs in social animals which actually do have a more complex definition of fairness than simple equality. Chimp ‘morals’ would include the notion that high status individuals “deserve more” - which I think is simple moralising which goes beyond equality
- dvt 4y ago> justice is the stronger version I think we have a disagreement here. Justice and fairness, in my view, are two distinct categories. Fairness is not always just (e.g. separate but equal), and justice isn't always fair (e.g. affirmative action). There's occasional overlap, but the overlap is incidental, not contingent.
- RONROC 4y agoI think you don't understand the difference between equality and equity. I don't believe everyone should get the same slice. I just believe that 200 million is a far cry from your salary. If that was untrue you wouldn't be talking shit on a message board.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]