The phrase “fair share” has been used frequently in recent years as people have debated issues like taxes and income inequality. “What does it mean to have a “fair share” of something someone else has worked for?” Thomas Sowell, the acclaimed American economist, has an answer.
Sowell defines “fair share” as follows: “Fair share is whatever you can get away with without getting caught or without arousing enough public indignation to make it politically dangerous.” In other words, your fair share of something is not necessarily determined by what’s objectively fair or ethical; it’s determined by how much you can take without facing repercussions.
Sowell argues that “fair share” is rooted in envy and resentment. He suggests that people who demand others’ “fair share” are often motivated to punish those who have achieved success and to reward those who have not, regardless of whether they deserve it. This thinking leads to arguments favouring redistributive taxation and other policies meant to level the playing field between the haves and the have-nots.
But Sowell cautions against such policies. He points out that when governments try to implement them, they almost always do so in ways that are inefficient, ineffective, and unjust — often hurting the very people they’re intended to help while going easy on those who can navigate the system and take advantage of loopholes or political connections. This system rewards dishonesty over hard work and incentivizes people to game the system rather than trying their best at honest labour.
To benefit from each other’s successes, we must strive toward policies that create incentives for everyone — not just those fortunate enough to find ways around them — to work hard and be honest in their endeavours. According to Thomas Sowell, “fair share” is not associated with justice or fairness; it’s simply a way for some people to acquire more than what is rightfully theirs at the expense of others. As Sowell suggests, this kind of thinking can lead down a slippery slope where governments try to enact policies based on notions of fairness without considering their implications for society or individuals.
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