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Is Fairness About Clear Fitness Signals?

Is Fairness About Clear Fitness Signals?. Robin Hanson Dept. of Economics George Mason University. Which Inequalities Are Unfair?. Vast philosophy literature on “equal what?” primary goods, capacity, utility, returns to effort, liberty Yaari & Bar-Hillel (1984) experiment

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Is Fairness About Clear Fitness Signals?

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  1. Is Fairness About Clear Fitness Signals? Robin Hanson Dept. of Economics George Mason University

  2. Which Inequalities Are Unfair? • Vast philosophy literature on “equal what?” • primary goods, capacity, utility, returns to effort, liberty • Yaari & Bar-Hillel (1984) experiment • divide fruit: health equal, taste unequal • Varying political support for redistribution • high: medicine, income, discrimination • low: sex, status, looks, wit, IQ, art/sport ability

  3. Inspiration: The Mating Mind • Geoffrey Miller, The Mating Mind, 2000 • follows Zahavi, The Handicap Principle, 1995? • Thesis: humans mostly differ via evolved signals of fitness to potential mates. • Sports, Art, Wit, Vocabulary, Morals • Are broad measures of # gene errors • Note: want clearest signals, i.e, min noise • E.g., prefer similar abilities play in sports

  4. Steroids Breast implants Family wealth Medicine access Disaster Gambling Family contacts Discrimination Prostitution Sports Looks Politics Health Profit Wealth School Job Sex Area Unfair Fair Training Makeup Charisma Status Clever Wit Obedience Seniority All else

  5. Signal Cross-Talk Concerns Charisma Looks Sports Politics School Clarity Personal Wealth Family Wealth Luck Discrimination

  6. Evolved To Share Life, Not Status • Babbler birds forced to accept food gifts • Hunters shared meat with tribe, claim credit • Large gains to sharing food, injury aid. • Low/no gains to mixing fitness signals • Today accept redistribution if keep ranking • Helps that stigma goes with welfare • GATTACA tomorrow? • Gene-based status, no privacy, but no buying?

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