Why Fairness Matters: From Monkeys to Modern Society

This lecture will explore one of the most powerful forces shaping human society: fairness. Why do humans care so deeply about being treated—and treating others—fairly? Why are we sometimes willing to sacrifice our own self-interest in the name of fairness? Drawing from behavioral economics, comparative research, developmental psychology, and cultural evolutionary theory, we will examine how our concern for fairness may have evolved to help sustain cooperation. The lecture will trace the roots of fairness from reactions to unequal outcomes in non-human animals, through the development of fairness norms and punishment in children, to the role of culture and institutions in enabling large-scale human cooperation. Participants will also learn about how fairness shapes trust and compliance with the law in modern society, and will explore social psychological theories that explain why—despite our taste for fairness—we see, and often accept, so much inequality in the world.