Tag Archives: Fairness

Everyday ethics

Posted on March 31, 2023 by koenfucius

featured image: Antonio Trogu/Flickr CC BY NC ND 2.0 Military commanders, law and policy makers, medical staff and judges, they can all expect to face tough ethical challenges. But it is not because our actions, as ordinary folk, are often … Continue reading →

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Real prices can be about more than supply and demand

Posted on October 1, 2021 by koenfucius

(featured image via Twitter) How to turn an unfair price rise into a fair one This last week, the UK has been experiencing a freak petrol* crisis. A handful of filling stations on the south coast had run out of … Continue reading →

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Everything is unfair

Posted on February 19, 2021 by koenfucius

(featured image: EliasSch via Pixabay) Ethical concerns are an important factor in policymaking, and fairness often figures prominently in this respect. But are we really using it in the way we do? In last week’s post, I referred to the … Continue reading →

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The elusive equilibrium

Posted on December 4, 2020 by koenfucius

The notion of balance is relevant in more than a few ways in our lives. But it is not always easy – or even possible – to establish it. People have been using balance scales for a long time. The … Continue reading →

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Unjust deserts

Posted on January 10, 2020 by koenfucius

(featured image: Aimee Ray CC BY) Many people see meritocracy as a worthy ideal: everyone gets what they deserve. Luck can mess this up: it is, by definition, something we don’t deserve. But is it really that simple? Imagine you … Continue reading →

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A fair price for everyone

Posted on April 19, 2019 by koenfucius

(featured image credit: Timothy Takemoto CC BY) Fairness is an important feature in our society. But is a fair price a fixed price, which is the same for everyone? For billions of years, life on this planet has been subject … Continue reading →

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All because of the Joneses

Posted on February 16, 2018 by koenfucius

(featured image: eugeniu) Are we doomed to be forever dissatisfied with our lot?   Imagine the scene. You have just taken delivery of a shiny new car. You are over the moon. At last you have replaced its clapped out predecessor, … Continue reading →

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Fairness or efficiency?

Posted on July 7, 2017 by koenfucius

(featured image: NeuPaddy) Yet another instance of the tension between our emotions and economic logic Imagine a clothing retailer who charges more for an item in a larger size than for an almost identical one in a more mainstream size. While … Continue reading →

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