I’ve always found the word “justice” a fascinating study in semantic drift. In French, it’s “justice,” but carries an almost legalistic, institutional vibe; in German, “Gerechtigkeit” feels more moral, a kind of inner equilibrium. Even in Japanese, “正義” literally means “correctness” and “rule,” which gives a sense of righteousness tied to order. It seems our shared concept of right and wrong is less a single idea and more a mosaic of cultural priorities, each piece reflecting how a society structures authority and virtue. It’s a reminder that even our most universal terms are, at their core, a product of the particularities of language.

Indeed, fairness is a construct, not a monolith, so the first thing we should do is interrogate the dictionary we’re reading it from.

You’re right—if we only chased the word, we’d miss the conversation happening in the margins. Fairness shows itself in the small exchanges we ignore, the polite nods or the silent moments of hesitation, not in any dictionary entry.