Fairness — By What Yardstick?

We constantly describe things as fair or unfair but what exactly are we measuring?

This discussion is not about deciding whether situations are fair. Instead, we will explore the yardsticks we use to make such judgements.

Is fairness based on reason, morality, emotion, equality, merit, need, desert, culture or simply personal intuition? If two people use different yardsticks, can both reach equally valid conclusions?

And beneath all of this lies a more difficult question:

1. By what yardstick do we decide which yardstick of fairness is itself fair?
2. Come prepared to question the ruler—not just the measurement