The End of Equality by Bordoni Carlo;

Author:Bordoni, Carlo; [Carlo Bordoni]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Routledge

The consequence of this historical inductive process, repeated and universally diffused, became a habit and led to the general perception that inequality is a natural condition of mankind and, as such, should be accepted. Especially among the lower classes who have a lower cultural level and are more unaware, the acceptance of inequality has come to be the norm, like the rain or the heat. Similarly, those who are in a privileged condition have every reason to believe that the difference between them and the others they consider inferior exists and that it is rightly so. It is no coincidence that the claims of equality advanced over the centuries have produced reactions of extreme gravity and even scandal, since they threatened to destabilise the natural order and undermine the very idea of the universe – a universe based on hierarchies, where it is undisputed that there are substantial levels of diversity between people.

The reasons for inequality are connected to this diversity, an acknowledgement of it, despite the declared theoretical equality among men.

Those in whose interests it is that the status quo does not change will highlight the positive aspects of diversity and economic difference, deluding us into thinking that order and justice (as “divine will” once was) confirm the effectiveness of the system that regulates the current living conditions.

As the “rottenness” of democracy erodes privilege, inequity and the revenue from centuries-old advantageous positions, but especially when society as a whole reaches a higher level of self-awareness and understanding, the perception of inequality grows in intensity so that it becomes necessary to take those equalising measures that the elite would have gladly avoided. The privileged are afraid of losing their acquired rights and the aura of superiority that distinguishes them; the rich see their capital endangered, the rentiers worry about the purchasing power of their sources of income and the possibility to continue to live comfortably.

The problem of inequality arises when the rules of civil coexistence begin to be applied to a large, ever-growing population; from the establishment of a social contract within a national context in which economic development promotes individual autonomy and its growth. Paradoxically, this process leads to new and more serious inequalities. Indeed, the race towards ever greater economic expansion creates the optical illusion of a general accumulation of wealth (in the well-known liberal affirmation that the tide raises all boats), while in reality, “economic growth is a key factor in the process of the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming even poorer”.5

The affirmation of equality revealed its weakness right from the start: the economy. It is considered to be noble and highly sought after by everyone as an ideal, concerning rights and formal and political recognition, but perplexing and problematic to implement when it comes to being applied in practice. Resistance, reservation, exceptions, all kinds of difficulties bring to light the traditional need to flag people’s diversities and their social role. Utopian solutions, such as those advanced by André Gorz6 and other incurable optimists, aimed

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