Egalitarianism is the ideal that everyone should be equal. It does not mean equal in the sense of equal treatment under the law, regardless of skin color, height, gender, religion or level of wealth. It means that everyone ends up the same. It means that everyone finishes the race together, even if that entails placing heavy weights on the faster runners. Many assume that egalitarianism is the moral high ground, that inequality of conditions is inherently bad, and that equality equals justice. To the contrary, however, egalitarianism is the repudiation of reason, of all of economics, of morality, of human intelligence and of life itself.
It is quite evident that no two situations are alike. Someone who chooses to live in the desert will have certain resources that are available and specific limitations as to what he can produce. The same person doing the same thing in fertile valleys or in a rain forest or in the arctic tundra will have a different set of resources and limitations. Obviously, geographical location will give certain advantages and disadvantages, unequal productivity and unequal wealth for identical people in each of those situations. That is neither bad nor good. It just is. To say it shouldn’t be is like saying gravity shouldn’t exist.
When you consider the vast differences in intellect, native talent, size, dexterity and a thousand other attributes of human beings, the large differences due to geography are magnified. Some people are exceptionally bright, some are exceptionally dull. Again, that is not good or bad, it just is. It is nature, it is life.
Some people in society get to be surgeons. No matter how bright the individual is, that doesn’t happen accidentally or automatically. A surgeon becomes so by making a decision and paying the very high price to get there. While the economic cost is high, there are far more important costs to take into consideration. It takes many years of grueling study, hard work, long hours and unpleasant conditions to make it to the point where a doctor can excel at his or her work. That is true, to some extent, for almost any profession. There are many capable people who choose not to pay the personal price and, in so doing, choose a lower paying career.
Some unfortunate souls who have paid the price find out after the fact that the ongoing personal cost is not worth the higher pay. I know an engineer, for example, who was successful, but didn’t want the rat race. He gave up an engineer’s salary to become a farmer. His income was less and farming was harder physical work and required longer hours, but to him, it was worth it. He made a tradeoff because he believed that some things were worth more than a high salary. Not everyone agrees with him.
Thus, we can see that much more enters into the picture than just innate abilities or geography. All humans make tradeoffs in their daily lives which affect the future. Students at all levels of education take actions each day that affect their future, their careers and their lives. There are some who are not exceptionally intelligent, but they work very hard and become exceptional. There are others who have a high level of native intelligence and skill, but they choose not to use them for whatever reason. It is reasonable to expect that the economic results of those two will likely be significantly different. In general, those with higher intelligence, those with specific innate skills and those who work harder and longer will earn more money and be able to do things that those less intelligent or skilled or hard working will not. That is very good because it rewards people for being productive, and thus contributing to society.
What is bad is when someone takes something that does not belong to them. Theft and physical aggression, whether actual or threatened, are almost universally thought of as bad. Throughout history, morality has centered around respect for the life and property of the individual. Further, what is immoral for one person to do is also immoral for presidents, congressmen or any collection of people to do. The biggest, most effective predators in modern times are large centralized governments, who use the flag of equality to cover their sins and to justify massive legalized theft and interference in the lives of citizens. It is past time for thinking people to take back the high ground and recognize the inherent immorality of egalitarianism.
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