What is particularism?

Particularism is when we treat people or things differently because they're special in their own way.

Imagine you have a bag of candies. Most of them are chocolate bars, plain and simple. But there's one candy that’s shiny, sparkly, and has your favorite flavor inside. When you hand out the candies to your friends, you give everyone a regular chocolate bar, but you save the special one for your best friend because they're extra special to you.

That’s like particularism, it's when we notice what makes someone or something unique and treat them differently because of that. It’s not unfair; it’s just giving more love where it’s needed most.

Sometimes, people are different in ways that matter. Maybe one friend helps you when you’re sad, or one person works really hard at school. Particularism is like saying, “I see what makes you special, and I want to give you something extra because of that.”

It’s not about picking favorites, it's about seeing the good in each person and giving them what they need most.