Life is not fair.

• Author: Feeney, Matthew
• Position: Briefly Noted - Against Fairness - Brief article - Book review

The otherwise unbuttressed complaint "It's not fair!" is a frequent lament. Not nearly as common is the response: "So what?" The moral virtue of fairness often dominates discussions on economics, morality, and how the two realms meet. With Against Fairness (University of Chicago), philosopher Stephen Asma rejects the idea that fairness is morally central and defends the moral theory of favoritism.

Asma refreshingly outlines the moral virtues that come with...