egalitarian

Egalitarianism (derived from the French word égal, meaning "equal"), has two distinct definitions in modern English.^[1] It is defined either as a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals and have the same political, economic, social, and civil rights^[2] or as a social philosophy advocating the removal of economic inequalities among people.

In modern cultures, peoples tend to be divided into upper or lower classes. However, before the relatively recent agricultural revolution, humanity existed in primarily hunter-gatherer societies, which tended to be egalitarian. It is considered by some^{[by whom?]} to be the natural state of society.^[3][4][5]

Applications of egalitarianism

Common forms of egalitarianism include economic egalitarianism, legal egalitarianism, luck egalitarianism, political egalitarianism, gender egalitarianism, racial equality, asset-based egalitarianism, and Christian egalitarianism.

Christian egalitarianism

The Christian egalitarian view holds that the Bible teaches the fundamental equality of women and men of all racial and ethnic groups, all economic classes, and all age groups, based on the teachings and example of Jesus Christ and the overarching principles of scripture.

Political egalitarianism

The framers of various modern governments made references to the Enlightenment principles of egalitarianism, "inalienable rights endowed by their Creator," in the moral principles by which they lived, and which formed the basis for their legacy.

Broadly egalitarian philosophies

At a cultural level, egalitarian theories have developed in sophistication and acceptance during the past two hundred years. Among the notable broadly egalitarian philosophies are socialism, communism, anarchism, left-libertarianism, and progressivism, all of which propound economic, political, and legal egalitarianism, respectively. Several egalitarian ideas enjoy wide support among intellectuals and in the general populations of many countries. Whether any of these ideas have been significantly implemented in practice, however, remains a controversial question. For instance, some^[who?] argue that modern representative democracy is a realization of political egalitarianism, while others believe that, in reality, most political power still resides in the hands of a ruling class, rather than in the hands of the people.

Egalitarianism in young adults and children

A study of American college students published in Nature showed that people are willing to pay to reduce inequality.^[6] When subjects were placed into groups and given random amounts of income, they spent their own money to reduce the incomes of the highest earners and increase the incomes of the lowest earners.^[7][8] Critics argued that no experiments have been made on working adults whereupon they might not be generous with redistribution of their income.

In a follow-up study, Swiss children showed a significant increase in sharing between the ages of 3 and 8. It has not been determined whether the results of either of these experiments are due to an innate instinct, or exposure to and adoption of the customs of other people.^[9]

Criticism and support

A society that meets the meritocratic goal of equal opportunity might still be a harsh environment for those who lack the physical or mental capabilities to compete. It has been argued (^{[by whom?]}) that policies that go beyond the meritocratic ideals are ineffective.^[10] Political correctness has been criticized (^{[by whom?]}) for establishing a "petty word" society.

Various other anti-egalitarian views have been brought forward (^{[by whom?]}), among others in the discussion on the distribution of income. To the contrary, John Rawls has argued that the welfare of a society depends on the welfare of the worst-off individual because society is better off if one improves the welfare of others.^[11]

See also

This entry is related to, but not included in the Political ideologies series or one of its sub-series. Other related articles can be found at the Politics Portal.

• "All men are created equal"
• Asset-based egalitarianism
• Basic income
• Deep ecology
• Discrimination
• Equality of outcome
• Equal opportunity
• Gender equality
• Gift economy
• Harrison Bergeron
• Inequity aversion
• Jock Tamson's Bairns
• Liberalism
• Liberté, égalité, fraternité
• Mutualism
• Reciprocal altruism
• Redistributive justice
• Social equality
• Socialism
• Tall poppy syndrome a pejorative term used in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand
• Jante Law

References

External links

Look up egalitarianism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
  • Egalitarianism, by R. Arneson (2002).
  • Equality, by S. Gosepath (2007).
  • Equality of opportunity, by R. Arneson (2002).
• Lepowsky, Maria. 1993. Fruit of the Motherland: Gender in an Egalitarian Society. New York: Columbia University Press.
• The Equality Studies Centre
• Twin Oaks Intentional Community
• Federation of Egalitarian Communities