On the Equality of People

[picarpo]

It is dangerous to confuse society's beliefs with one's own. The opinions a society should hold should sometimes be, as in the case of the Equality of People, contrary to the the individual's.

Society should believe that everyone is equal. But to do so disregards individuality. Even "different but equal" puts everyone in the same category.

Comments

[picarpo]

I wrote this after someone wrote a long note on facebook grandly denouncing the "comparing people" application, which peeved me.

[ericjherboso]

"Society should...", you say. Yet to make such a normative statement, you are admitting that how society should act is as though people were equal, even when we may prefer some persons to others. But you are forgetting that society is nothing more than the combined activity of individuals

[picarpo]

I believe you are right! when you say I am "forgetting that society is nothing more than the combined activity of individuals". In this entry I was considering society as acting in its official (political) capacity. I think I was in the mindset of political philosophy, and in hindsight I needed to specify this, so as not to include such parts of society as "public opinion", to which this entry really doesn't apply