Kaimani Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Equality sounds good in theory, but think carefully about what it means. For example, you can't make someone smarter (you can try to educate them, you can't even guarantee that that will succeed), but inate intelligence can't be imparted. You can't make someone faster, taller or stronger (beyond a certain point). So that means that if you're naturally smart, fast, tall or strong, you'll have to be brought down somehow to make everyone equal. Then we can extend the idea to possessions, of course with the government managing it, money will no longer be necessary, it would only make people unequal. So in this perfectly equal society (we'd best include the whole world I suppose, or it won't be fair), everyone will be given an equal portion of grain or rice and some water, an equal shelter, and of course state employment. When you first say it, equality sounds great, when you actually consider it, I'm not so keen... Maybe if you only consider equal opportunity though, that'd be better. Unless that means that you aren't allowed to pay extra for a personal tutor, or pay for guitar lessons. Getting that extra training would give you a greater opportunity, at least if someone else couldn't afford them... So, does that mean that the root cause of inequality is money? Maybe. And the root cause of some people having more than others, ability? Probably. Which brings me back to not thinking it's such a good idea to reduce the ability of everyone down to the lowest level... short answer to your OP is 'no, they shouldn't impose it on people'. that just backfires. as all other forms of legislation against 'thought' and 'beliefs' never work. on a side not i do agree that you view of equal seems 'extreme'. my understanding of it is to give everyone the opportunity to achieved the best they can with what innate abilities and/or capacities they have. the emphasis is on a 'level playing field' rather than the positions people play. think that analogy is crap, but it's the best i have at the minute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danot Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Making everyone equal would be an extreme thing to do.It would be, if it were doable. Thankfully it isn't, which is why people will never be equal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Macbeth Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Perhaps, but that isn't the case in society. You can't have people getting above their station. Everyone who has children has an obligation to help and encourage them to be the best they can. And I don't mean by going on the X factor! My late father in law had the attitude of 'know your place', but thank goodness my husband (who grew up hearing that regularly) didn't impose his dad's thinking on our children. As a parent, I'm proud my offspring have achieved more than me, academically and in their careers. And I expect they will feel the same about their children. Equality can never work, human nature gets in the way too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epiphany Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Engineering (or at least attempting to engineer) equality of opportunity makes far more sense than trying to engineer equality of outcome. There's no reason why we can't strive to minimise the obstacles that hold people back from fulfilling their aspirations. The alternative is a society of wasted talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaimani Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Engineering (or at least attempting to engineer) equality of opportunity makes far more sense than trying to engineer equality of outcome. There's no reason why we can't strive to minimise the obstacles that hold people back from fulfilling their aspirations. The alternative is a society of wasted talent. well said... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halibut Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 well said... Yeah - I was composing a post on that very theme and gave up. In essence what I was going to say was that I strongly believe that people should have a level playing field and not be excluded because they're poor or deaf or the wrong colour or whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaimani Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 equality can not, and does not mean, asking beckam to come up with a theory of the universe and hawking to lead the boys to world cup glory(ok, euro glory. ok, a win over Ghana) but that hawking can 'be hawking' regardless of his disability and beckam to bend it regardless of any other impediment that should have no part to play in the field he excels in. the equal access to opportunity, and, as said, the wholesale removal of hurdles that can have otherwise talented people languishing in mediocrity. the trick is to know that, for some, mediocrity is their apex. harsh but true. problem is that people who never get to see a violin because they were busy flunking math and/or metal work will have to settle for being shelf stackers when they could have been 'the new Wolfgang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harleyman Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 The notion of monetary equality is rubbish. We're not even born equally either mentally of physically. There will always be some "who are more equal than others" to borrow a phrase from one of George Orwell's books. Give every man and woman twenty thousand pounds/dollars each and in ten years some will be back on poor street and some will have turned it into a few millions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 They're a bit silly letting people borrow the money then, and only pay it back when and if they've become well off. That policy completely wipes out any attempt to restrict education to the rich. Things change, the retirement age might change to 70 on your 65th birthday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 You are just so wrong. You mustn't ever buy a horse - it will give up before the first fence. Why is he wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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