The World Isn’t Fair – Some Thoughts on the Concept of “Kantian Fairness”

Kantian Fairness - 25 Cognitive Biases

An Example of Kantian Fairness at Work

Look at this fight, it is obviously completely lopsided, still…

The kid gets a fighting chance as the stronger fighter appeals to his better angels and gives him a fighting chance.

“Life is Not Fair”

This is a reality, the faster you deal with knowing that “Life is Not Fair” the better you will be off.

One of my favorite Biases is Bias #7 Kantian Fairness, which states:

“Tolerating a little unfairness should be ok if it means greater fairness for all”

The video above is a perfect example.

You can see Kantian fairness at work. The “Shermanator” in a “real-life scenario” should be crushed by the , champion MMA fighter Diego Sanchez, instead, the superior fighter gives the kid a fighting chance. Touching everybody’s heart.

The real world is not really that fair, as humans we create a sense of fairness, but beware, this is not always real, this is a mental bias…

So when you catch yourself saying ” This isn’t fair” remember, fairness is a bias.

Human impulses are generally geared towards basic survival and towards the self. Life is really “not fair”.

But wait…

There is also a sliver of hope.

As human beings we also have a higher nature, and that higher nature is what Kant is appealing to; in its most basic essence. On our journey of evolution as a species we see more of this in place. This is where Maslow comes in. In his pyramid of human needs Maslow mentions our higher need to transcend a contribute.

When you see others do unfair things or things in service to themselves and not others remember that is basic human animalistic nature, accept it, acknowledge it, move on and simply do your best instead of being stuck on the “unfairness” of it all, appeal to your better Angels. And use the Golden Rule. “Do onto others as your would like to be done onto you”

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