Reply #17: Those are all good questions. [View All]

To a degree, I think that "fairness" is a matter of human opinion. Whereas justice is concerned with absolute rightness.

As a result, the two may not always be reconciled. This makes things difficult in terms of "deciding" what is right--and results in ideological differences between such folks as Democrats and Republicans.

But I think the key to finding answers or determining who makes decisions is in bringing people together on common ground. For instance, one person may say that it is "unfair" to take what he has worked hard to earn. But most sane people--even the one who wants to keep what he's worked for--would also agree that it is wrong for others to go hungry through no fault of their own. The process of solving the condition may be difficult to discern, yet if the problem remains as the main focus of deliberation, perhaps the just and fair thing can be found and accomplished (which, if truly just, would involve covering the immediate need while helping to establish long-term, sustainable, future solutions).

You know, I'm really exhausted right now, and may not have responded very effectively or coherently. I think I'll stop posting here for today.