Equal opportunity rather than equal outcomes is what I think is the only workable kind of equality.
With equal opportunity , everyone starts at the same start line and has the same chance to get ahead , but if they fail to do so then that is on them, not the system , nor the people who managed to get ahead. This is actual equality (or as close as we are likely to be able to get)
Equal outcomes which is the path western society is heading down is a fatally flawed philosophy , the lazy and talentless will get into positions that they are not competent for and cause incredible damage to society , while the talented will grow resentful that less talented people are getting the rewards they worked hard for and they will rebel and kick the politicians that think this is a good idea out of office.
Equality of opportunity is just a Trojan horse for equality of outcome. Most opportunities are outcomes.
Take, for example, two kids gunning for college. The first kid's parents aggressively budgeted and saved to afford tuition at a good school. The second kid's parents lived at or above their means, racking up debt.
Why should these kids have the exact same opportunities? The disparity between them is just. It was paid for with sacrifice and effort. If you pave over that disparity with government handouts, then you are incentivizing shiity behavior. Why should good parents save money for their childrens' educations if bad parents are just handed the same opportunities?
A society should strive to provide reasonable access to a good middle class lifestyle for as many people as possible. Equality of outcome is impossible nonsense, and equality of opportunity is almost equally evil.
Free education would make more money than it would cost in the long term , and this is all that is really needed for equal opportunity. have the start line at the same place , and the talented will rise to the top , rather than having mediocre aristocrats who's only real talent is that they were born rich. A meritocratic system would depend on this. And this is the true path ideal philosopher king system envisioned by Plato, with the enlightened natural elite rising to the top and making a better society for all.
You believe education directly translates to or promotes talent? Our present system is good for very little other than teaching compliance and memorization.
enlightened natural elite rising to the top
I do support the idea of a meritocracy, but it should be acknowledged that it is in the best interest of corrupt elites to suppress the rise of talented elites (or anyone else that doesn't "play ball"). So most pre-existing elite class will actively hinder approaches towards meritocracy. This does include the elites of foreign nations unless you can pull off a miracle isolation for your new society.
I don't recall if Plato bothered with the real methods by which his republic could be developed - rather, I don't remember him considering how to solve the problem of bad actors.
Equal opportunity rather than equal outcomes is what I think is the only workable kind of equality.
With equal opportunity , everyone starts at the same start line and has the same chance to get ahead , but if they fail to do so then that is on them, not the system , nor the people who managed to get ahead. This is actual equality (or as close as we are likely to be able to get)
Equal outcomes which is the path western society is heading down is a fatally flawed philosophy , the lazy and talentless will get into positions that they are not competent for and cause incredible damage to society , while the talented will grow resentful that less talented people are getting the rewards they worked hard for and they will rebel and kick the politicians that think this is a good idea out of office.
Equality of opportunity is just a Trojan horse for equality of outcome. Most opportunities are outcomes.
Take, for example, two kids gunning for college. The first kid's parents aggressively budgeted and saved to afford tuition at a good school. The second kid's parents lived at or above their means, racking up debt.
Why should these kids have the exact same opportunities? The disparity between them is just. It was paid for with sacrifice and effort. If you pave over that disparity with government handouts, then you are incentivizing shiity behavior. Why should good parents save money for their childrens' educations if bad parents are just handed the same opportunities?
A society should strive to provide reasonable access to a good middle class lifestyle for as many people as possible. Equality of outcome is impossible nonsense, and equality of opportunity is almost equally evil.
Free education would make more money than it would cost in the long term , and this is all that is really needed for equal opportunity. have the start line at the same place , and the talented will rise to the top , rather than having mediocre aristocrats who's only real talent is that they were born rich. A meritocratic system would depend on this. And this is the true path ideal philosopher king system envisioned by Plato, with the enlightened natural elite rising to the top and making a better society for all.
You believe education directly translates to or promotes talent? Our present system is good for very little other than teaching compliance and memorization.
I do support the idea of a meritocracy, but it should be acknowledged that it is in the best interest of corrupt elites to suppress the rise of talented elites (or anyone else that doesn't "play ball"). So most pre-existing elite class will actively hinder approaches towards meritocracy. This does include the elites of foreign nations unless you can pull off a miracle isolation for your new society.
I don't recall if Plato bothered with the real methods by which his republic could be developed - rather, I don't remember him considering how to solve the problem of bad actors.