Brown capuchin monkeys get very upset if they are unfairly treated (reported in Nature' in September 2003 - for summary see web-site below).

Initially, all of the members of the group were offered a piece of cucumber as a reward for handing a small piece of granite to a researcher.  However when later some of them were given the reward without handing over the piece of rock, or were given a better reward e.g. some grapes, the others revolted - they variously refused to eat the cucumber they had just earned, or threw it back at the researcher in apparent disgust.

So it seems that the concept of fairness is a part of our nature.  It is also an integral part of the thinking behind Socialism and of course Communism.  They both consider it to be a fundamental principle which gives rights for the workers.

However, if it is not a fixed principle but in fact merely a form of biological behaviour which happens to promote our survival as a species with all the variation that this implies - and this seems to be the case - then it has to be looked at in a different light.

For a start, I would say that we should accept the evidence that, for us, fairness is relative.  We seem to be tolerant of quite blatant unfairness' e.g. footballers' wages.  On the other hand, if someone is paid more for doing the same job as me by the same company, then I shall be upset.

What we cannot do any longer is continue to pretend that there is some underlying 'principle of fairness'. Any sensible politician should instead look in detail at how and to what extent fairness is required for the smooth running of our society and apply the findings accordingly.

We have to be pragmatic about it instead of trying to apply a non-existent blanket principle.