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Old 2013-01-18, 13:17   Link #35
DonQuigleone
Knight Errant
 
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
Quote:
Originally Posted by solidguy View Post
Law being unfair doesn't necessarily mean no law = fair. And I have lived in a (nearly) lawless country in the Pacific Islands for 2 years. I can tell you from my experience that the lack of law in no way makes the country a bad place to live.

If laws do not benefit the majority of the people in a democratic society i'd say by democracies very premise that those laws are unfair yet still just.
A sufficiently small society does not need a rigid system of law to govern itself, as everyone will largely know everyone else, and social pressures can be used to enforce conformity. But even that society will still have a "law", except it will be largely unwritten.

While such societies can often live harmoniously for long periods, if some kind of dispute arises between two factions it can often lead to escalating and ultimately ... murderous consequences, as no one has defined a regular set of penalties, so people will keep seeking revenge against one another.

But I disagree that the law is "unfair". It's the definition of fairness. Everyone gets what is due to them, and everyone is equal before it. I can't really think of any better definition then that for "fairness".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant View Post
But as I mentioned, "fair" is by its very nature unpleasant. You can never "win" in a fair scenario. Fair is when everyone loses.
Aren't there many scenarios where everyone wins? Surely that is fair too?

For instance, when two people trade fairly, everyone wins, as each person gets rid of something they didn't want, and obtains something they did.

Fairness should mean that everyone is equally satisfied (or unsatisfied) with the outcome.
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