Would we as a society benefit from having more clearly defined social markers?
I believe so. Why? Because equality is not identicality.
Under capitalism (which I support, please note), equality will never fail to be equated with identicality. We have confused being equal with being identical. This is a grave error that is the source of later social schizophrenia, a position that also equates justice and fairness. These two are not the same, either.
We use the tabula rasa model on social mobility: Everyone starts from the same "Go!" square, so we're all equal, which means we're all evaluated as though we're identical.
Great theory. Too bad it has no bearing in reality.
You think we don't evaluate? Albert Camus observed, "To breathe is to judge." Everyone does it, all the time. It is inescapable.
Would we as a society, then, benefit from having more clearly defined social markers?
What do we lose, and what do we gain, if we do?
No comments:
Post a Comment