Lessons·life-skills·teens · intermediate
What Is Fair?
Explore the philosophy of fairness — equality vs equity, what we deserve, and how to think about justice in school, sport, and society.
About 25 minutes
Three students do a group project. One does 80% of the work. Should they all get the same grade?
Before you start
Watch What Is Justice? by CrashCourse Philosophy (9 min) — Focus on the section about Rawls's 'veil of ignorance'. If you didn't know whether you'd be rich or poor, what rules would you create for society?
- Think of a time something felt unfair at school. What happened and why did it feel wrong?
- Is treating everyone the SAME always fair? Can you think of a situation where it isn't?
- If you were making the rules for your school, what's the first thing you'd change?
Thinking About Fairness Through the Ages
Humans have argued about fairness for thousands of years. In ancient Athens, the philosopher Aristotle said fairness means giving people what they DESERVE — if you work harder, you should get more. Simple, right?
But what counts as 'deserving'? A footballer earns £300,000 a week. A nurse earns £30,000 a year. Does the footballer work 500 times harder than the nurse? Most people would say no. So is the pay gap fair?
In the 1970s, philosopher John Rawls proposed a thought experiment: imagine you're about to be born, but you don't know if you'll be rich or poor, male or female, healthy or disabled. Behind this 'veil of ignorance', what rules would you create for society? Rawls argued you'd want a fair safety net — because you might be the person who needs it.
There's an important difference between EQUALITY (everyone gets the same) and EQUITY (everyone gets what they need). Imagine three people of different heights watching a football match over a fence. Equality means giving each person one box to stand on. Equity means giving shorter people more boxes so everyone can actually see.
Three Ways to Think About Fairness
When deciding if something is fair, philosophers suggest three different lenses:
**1. Equality** — Everyone gets exactly the same. Same rules, same opportunities, same rewards.
Strength: Simple and consistent.
Weakness: Ignores that people start from different places.
**2. Equity** — People get what they NEED to reach the same outcome.
Strength: Accounts for disadvantage.
Weakness: Who decides what's 'needed'? Can be subjective.
**3. Merit** — People get what they EARN through effort and talent.
Strength: Rewards hard work.
Weakness: Some people have more opportunities to develop talent (rich families, better schools).
Most real-world decisions involve a mix of all three. School exams aim for equality (same test). Extra time for dyslexic students is equity. University offers based on grades reward merit. None is perfect on its own.
What You Now Know
- Equality
- Treating everyone the same regardless of their circumstances.Every student sits the same exam under the same conditions.
- Equity
- Giving people what they need to achieve the same outcome.A student with dyslexia gets extra time in exams — not an advantage, just a level playing field.
- The Veil of Ignorance
- Rawls's thought experiment: design society's rules without knowing what position you'll have in it.If you didn't know whether you'd be rich or poor, you'd probably want free healthcare and education.
- Merit
- The idea that rewards should be based on effort and achievement.The student who studies hardest gets the top grade.
Let's Debate
- Back to the hook: one student did 80% of the group project. What should the teacher do?
- Is it fair that some people are born into wealthy families and some aren't? What (if anything) should society do about it?
- A sports league has salary caps so rich teams can't buy all the best players. Is this fair to the rich teams? Is it fair to the fans?
- Should exam results be the main way universities select students? Or should they also consider background and disadvantage?
- Devil's advocate: is TOTAL equality actually desirable? Would a world where everyone earned the same be motivating?
Fairness & Justice Vocabulary
| English | Türkçe |
|---|---|
| fair enough'I can't come tonight, I've got revision.' 'Fair enough, good luck!' | haklısın / makul'Bu akşam gelemem, ders çalışmam lazım.' 'Haklısın, bol şans!' |
| deserveShe worked the hardest — she deserves the prize. | hak etmekEn çok o çalıştı — ödülü o hak ediyor. |
| rightsEveryone has the right to education, regardless of background. | haklarGeçmişi ne olursa olsun, herkesin eğitim hakkı vardır. |
| justiceThe justice system is supposed to treat everyone equally. | adaletAdalet sisteminin herkese eşit davranması gerekir. |
| privilegeGrowing up in a wealthy area is a privilege that not everyone has. | ayrıcalıkZengin bir semtte büyümek, herkesin sahip olmadığı bir ayrıcalıktır. |
| biasThe referee's decisions showed bias towards the home team. |
Writing task
Write about 150 words on this and have it marked, with corrections. Free account needed.
Discuss this in English
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