Since the end of Feudalism, Western society has began to shape itself into a capitalist system. The true market system kick-started the freedom of possibilities for capitalism. The right to private property, choice, voluntary exchange, competition, and economic incentives are what we thrive towards every day. With the incorporation of voluntary exchange and competition, Americans were forced to go out into the world and produce in order to survive and make a profit. Economic incentives, better known as profit, lead to the broader array of choices that we are able to make as free-minded Americans. .
However, activists against the concept of economic inequality, like William Ryan, believe that the distribution of wealth is grossly unfair. Ryan's essay, Inequality, offers the idea that economic resources should be shared equally among all instead of limiting the access of these resources to those with a lower economic status. This concept is what Ryan calls "Fair Share." The opposite theory to Fair Share is the "Fair Play" concept, which embodies the essential principles of a market economy. On paper, the essential idea of Fair Share is a noble one, but realistically eliminating economic inequality would be detrimental to our current society in several ways.
In order to understand the principles of Fair Play, we must examine some of the basic characteristics of the market system that is implemented today. Individuals within a market system are given the opportunity to own their property resources, such as capital and land. This is very important because there is little government control. The right to private property extends the freedom to negotiate binding contracts and owners are allowed to use and dispose of their property resources as they see fit. If it were possible for the government to come and take away a person's property or the benefits derived from that property, then there would be no incentive for individuals to want to own property resources.
