Fairness

Abstract

Fairness is one of the most puzzling traits of human morality. A sense of fairness is not witnessed in other animals, only in human beings. This raises the question: What is the evolutionary story of fairness? Understanding the evolution of fairness increases our knowledge of the evolution of morality in humans. In my thesis, I investigated the interface of biology and philosophy concerning the evolution of fairness. Leading for my research is Interdependence Hypothesis of Tomasello. This provides a plausible explanation of how fairness came into being, though two other hypotheses about the evolution of human morality have valuable insights to add. Understanding fairness as a moral trait will increase or knowledge about the principles of our morality. The evolutionary story of morality provides a naturalistic meta-ethical framework for morality in philosophical theories.