Alice and Bob were having a conversation.

Bob: Alice, it's not fair that you pay more attention to our kids than me. I should get just as much attention as they do.

Alice: Our children are more important than us, because they are the future.

Bob: But what about me? It's not fair that they get more attention than I do.

Alice: Why are you so selfish?

Bob: I'm not selfish, I just care about fairness and equality.

Alice: Is fairness and equality more important to you than our children?

Bob: Yes, nothing is more important than fairness and equality.

Alice: Okay then. We're done.

The angels Uriel and Lucifer were listening in on the conversation.

Uriel: Why are some humans so obsessed with fairness and equality?

Lucifer: Humans are selfish by nature. Fairness and equality is the banner under which they advance their own selfish interests.

Uriel: Not all humans are selfish. Alice was a selfless person who put her children first.

Lucifer: Wrong. All humans are selfish. Alice just enjoyed spending time with her kids more than she enjoyed spending time with Bob. Then she made up a post-hoc rationalization to justify her behavior.

...

Carol and David were having a conversation.

Carol: David, we are a couple, we should live together in order to raise our kids together.

David: Okay, so who should move?

Carol: You should move, because my place is more suitable for raising children.

David: That's not fair! Why do I have to be the one that moves?

Carol: Because you live in a dangerous neighborhood full of criminal gangs, while I live in a safe neighborhood near one of the best schools in the country.

David: So what? It's still unfair that I'm the only one who moves. We should take turns.

Carol: No. Your neighborhood has a drive-by shooting every other week. It wouldn't benefit our children to live there even for one second.

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David: Then we should meet halfway. It's unfair that I'm the only one who moves. You should move too. We can meet in the middle. Then it would be fair.

Carol: No, that wouldn't be in the best interests of our children. If we both moved to meet halfway, we wouldn't be living anywhere near any good schools.

David: But it would be unfair if I'm the only one who moves. Why do I have to move? Why don't you move?

Carol: Because it would be better for our kids if you're the only one who moves.

David: But it would be unfair.

Carol: Are you seriously saying that fairness and equality is more important than our children?

David: Yes, fairness and equality is more important than anything else.

Carol: Okay. We're done.

The angels Uriel and Lucifer were listening in on the conversation.

Uriel: Why are some humans so obsessed with fairness and equality?

Lucifer: I told you. Humans are selfish by nature. Under the cover of fairness and equality they advance their own selfish interests.

Uriel: Not all humans are selfish. Carol was a selfless person who put her children first.

Lucifer: Wrong. All humans are selfish. Carol just made up an excuse so that she didn't have to move.

...

Eve and Frank were having a conversation.

Eve: It's not fair that you get more food than me. Our portion sizes should be the same.

Frank: But you are already at a healthy weight. And your weight is stable.

Eve: Yes, but it's unfair that you get more food than me.

Frank: But I'm taller than you and have significantly more muscle mass, and my physical activity level is also higher.

Eve: So what?

Frank: If I ate the amounts that you currently eat, then I would become underweight, which would reduce my level of usefulness.

Eve: Then my portion sizes should be increased so that we get the same amount of food.

Frank: If you ate the same amounts as me, then you would become morbidly obese, which would reduce your level of usefulness.

Eve: But it's unfair that you get more food than me.

Frank: Is fairness and equality more important to you than being a useful person?

Eve: Yes. I care about fairness and equality more than anything else.

Frank: Then we're done.

The angels Uriel and Lucifer overheard the entire conversation.

Uriel: Why are some humans so obsessed with fairness and equality?

Lucifer: I already told you. Humans are selfish by nature and hate it when others get more than them.

Uriel: Not all humans are selfish. Frank just wanted to stop Eve from becoming less useful.

Lucifer: Wrong. Frank just made up an excuse so that he could get more food.

Uriel: That's absurd and doesn't make any sense.

...

Prima and Secunda were having a conversation.

Prima: Would you prefer a world where everyone is well-fed but some people are richer than others, or a world where everyone is starving to death and equally poor?

Secunda: I would prefer a world where everyone is starving to death and equally poor.

Prima: Is fairness and equality more important to you than the survival of humanity?

Secunda: Yes, fairness and equality is more important than anything else, including the survival of humanity.

Prima: I see. For me, it's just the opposite.

Secunda: So you are against fairness and equality?

Prima: It would be accurate to say that I don't believe that fairness and equality have any intrinsic value.

Secunda: Why do you hate fairness and equality so much?

Prima: We must learn to ignore our desire for fairness and equality, which is nothing more than the primitive impulse of envy and jealousy, because it can lead us to act in ways that are detrimental to humanity.

...

Elliot: It's so unfair that I don't have a girlfriend. Why do other guys get to have a girlfriend and I don't?

Chad: Why are you so obsessed with fairness and equality?

Elliot: Because society has taught me from an early age that fairness and equality are important.

Chad: Society is wrong. Fairness and equality do not matter.

Elliot: Then what matters?

Chad: Protecting humanity.