I was passed an article called Playing Fair: Fairness Beliefs and Health Policy Preferences in the United States. It’s a pretty interesting monograph but there was one table that stood out to me. The participants in the study were asked which definition of fair best fit theirs:

This is way off topic with the actual paper but this table got me thinking about what people would answer if you asked them what people with other political beliefs thought was fair. I’m guessing here but I have a feeling conservatives would say that liberals, especially those furthest on the left, would say that everyone should end up with equal amounts. I would think, as well, that liberals would say that conservatives would endorse the everyone gets to keep what they have earned answer (that’s what I would say about conservatives if asked this). Yet, those are among the least popular answers.

Interestingly, the most popular answer, although still coming in at slightly over a third, is the answer I would consider the most fair: everyone has an equal chance to begin with. I find that pretty reassuring.

Knowing which of these definitions people agree with could make political debate easier as well. If two people agree on the definition of fair they can debate the intricacies of how to achieve that goal. If they disagree on the definition of fair then the debate becomes more about “what is fair?” than any specific policies.

Some of these definitions aren’t very clear though. Everyone gets to keep what they have earned is ambiguous. Does that mean no taxation? Does it mean people can’t inherit wealth because they didn’t earn it in the first place? Does everyone is treated equally, no matter what mean that everyone should be taxed at a flat rate or that everyone should be treated equally regardless of their income or wealth (access to the same opportunities)?

But where is the answer: the world is deterministic and free will is an illusion, this question is pointless?