Is Fairness in the Eye of the Beholder?
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James Konow
Abstract
A popular sentiment is that fairness is inexorably subjective and incapable of being determined by objective standards. This chapter, on the other hand, seeks to establish evidence on unbiased justice and to propose and demonstrate a general approach for measuring impartial views empirically. Most normative justice theories associate impartiality with limited information and consensus. In both the normative and positive literature, information is usually seen as the raw material for self-serving bias and disagreement. In contrast, this chapter proposes a type of impartiality that is associated with a high level of information and that results in consensus. The crucial distinction is the emphasis here on the views of impartial spectators, rather than implicated stakeholders. I describe the quasi-spectator method, i.e., an empirical means to approximate the views of impartial spectators. Results of a questionnaire provide evidence on quasi-spectator views and support this approach as a means to elicit moral preferences. By establishing a relationship between consensus and impartiality, this chapter helps lay an empirical foundation for welfare analysis, social choice theory, and practical policy applications.
Abstract
A popular sentiment is that fairness is inexorably subjective and incapable of being determined by objective standards. This chapter, on the other hand, seeks to establish evidence on unbiased justice and to propose and demonstrate a general approach for measuring impartial views empirically. Most normative justice theories associate impartiality with limited information and consensus. In both the normative and positive literature, information is usually seen as the raw material for self-serving bias and disagreement. In contrast, this chapter proposes a type of impartiality that is associated with a high level of information and that results in consensus. The crucial distinction is the emphasis here on the views of impartial spectators, rather than implicated stakeholders. I describe the quasi-spectator method, i.e., an empirical means to approximate the views of impartial spectators. Results of a questionnaire provide evidence on quasi-spectator views and support this approach as a means to elicit moral preferences. By establishing a relationship between consensus and impartiality, this chapter helps lay an empirical foundation for welfare analysis, social choice theory, and practical policy applications.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Foreword V
- Preface VII
- Table of Contents IX
- List of Abbreviations XI
- Introduction 1
- Two Worlds on the Brink of Colliding 11
- Normative Theories and Their Influence on Empirical Research 35
- Normative Influences in Science and Their Impact on (Objective) Empirical Research 75
- Is and Ought 105
- Empirically Informed Moral Intuitionism 129
- A Principle of Psychological Realism for Moral Epistemology 151
- Moral Epistemology Naturalised 169
- Empirical Incursions 189
- Is Fairness in the Eye of the Beholder? 237
- Needs-Based Justice 273
- A Simple Vote Won’t Do It 295
- Conceiving the Anthropological Difference as a Categorical Divide 317
- Epilogue 337
- List of Contributors 343
- Index of Names 347
- Index of Subjects 349
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Foreword V
- Preface VII
- Table of Contents IX
- List of Abbreviations XI
- Introduction 1
- Two Worlds on the Brink of Colliding 11
- Normative Theories and Their Influence on Empirical Research 35
- Normative Influences in Science and Their Impact on (Objective) Empirical Research 75
- Is and Ought 105
- Empirically Informed Moral Intuitionism 129
- A Principle of Psychological Realism for Moral Epistemology 151
- Moral Epistemology Naturalised 169
- Empirical Incursions 189
- Is Fairness in the Eye of the Beholder? 237
- Needs-Based Justice 273
- A Simple Vote Won’t Do It 295
- Conceiving the Anthropological Difference as a Categorical Divide 317
- Epilogue 337
- List of Contributors 343
- Index of Names 347
- Index of Subjects 349
