Is it Better to be Equal or to be Fair?

Raphael Amit talks about fairness in relation to both process and result.

Fairness is a profoundly important aspect, and fairness has many dimensions. One of the dimensions you referred to has to do with the distributive aspect of fairness, so you know, sometimes we call it distributive justice rules, and you can talk about equality, you can talk about equitable rather than equal, you can think about is it fair to allocate or distribute wealth based on need? Is it fair to distribute wealth in an equitable way rather than an equal way? So this is one dimension of fairness, the distributive aspect of fairness, and what is fair depends in part on how, in the process in which those decisions are being made, and the perception of fairness is really what matters in the context of family. If I am a family member and I believe that there has been some arbitrary decision made on the distribution of wealth, I might perceive it to be unfair. However, if the decision would have been made following a very elaborate process by which my voice has been heard, my views are accounted for, my siblings or cousins views are accounted for, and then a decision is made based on the collective view that has been solicited, I might have a very different perception of fairness about a particular decision that’s being made. So it’s not just the distributive aspect, it’s also the procedure, the process by which decisions are being made that have to be perceived to be fair. But there is no doubt that fairness is one of the most important values that determine ultimate behaviour of family members.