ark@rabbit.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (10/17/84)
I have heard a lot of talk by various candidates for public office lately calling the opposition's policies "unfair." This is a convenient word to use to describe your opposition, because it will turn many listeners against them without your having to justify your assertion. However, the word must have some real meaning -- some definition I can use to test an accusation of unfairness, for instance. I have my own opinion about the meaning of the word, and so does the dictionary. In fact, the dictionary has many opinions. I am not going to bias you by stating them here. Instead, I would like you to tell me (by mail, please) your definition of "fair." In other words, exactly what do you mean when you begin a sentence with "It is unfair that..." Please do NOT post definitions to the net. I will summarize them when responses have died down. Please do NOT send me examples, unless they accompany definitions. An example is not a definition. Some things to think about in framing your definition: Is it possible for a situation you consider fair in one context to be unfair in another? If the answer to this question is "yes," how can someone honestly call someone else unfair without making the context explicit? If the answer is "no," how come people disagree as to what is fair and what isn't?