{"id":344,"date":"2010-03-30T09:38:41","date_gmt":"2010-03-30T04:38:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gornahoor.net\/?p=344"},"modified":"2021-03-30T00:33:23","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T04:33:23","slug":"the-misconception-of-egalitarianism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/?p=344","title":{"rendered":"The Misconception of Egalitarianism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every doctrine is true in what it asserts but false in, or because of, what it excludes. ~ Leibniz<\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’ve been looking at some writings from the “right”, or “tradition”, or “conservatism” of various persuasions and I see that there many misconceptions, misunderstandings, and half-truths (i.e., wrong in what they exclude). This is the first in a series of posts that will discuss some of them.<\/p>\n

A prevalent myth is the assertion that Christianity is inherently “egalitarian”; this opinion is so common that it is never substantiated. We’ll assume for the time being that social egalitarian is what is meant, that is, there are no differences in social distinctions. We wonder, too, where in a social hierarchy the opponents of egalitarianism expect to end up. But getting back to the main point, let’s just quote what Christians themselves have written on this point. Consider the following quotes carefully; the opposite of egalitarianism is hierarchy and authority. This may not be to everyone’s liking.<\/p>\n

\nAs it is suitable that the institution of a city or a kingdom be made according to the model of the institution of the world, similarly it is necessary to draw from divine government the order (ratio) [or Logos in Greek] of the government of a city … That is why authors of the Middle Ages could not imagine Christianity without an Emperor, just as they could not imagine the Universal Church without a pope. Because if the world is governed hierarchically, Christianity cannot be otherwise.<\/p>\n

~ Valentin Tomberg<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nWhen once men recognise, both in private and in public life that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well ordered discipline, peace and harmony. Our Lord’s regal office invests the human authority of princes and rulers with a religious significance; it ennobles the citizen’s duty of obedience.<\/p>\n

~ Pope Pius XI (1925)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nNo one doubts that all men are equal one to another, so far as regards their common origin and nature, or the last end which each one has to attain, or the rights and duties which are thence derived. But, as the abilities of all are not equal, as one differs from another in the powers of mind or body, and as there are very many dissimilarities of manner, disposition, and character, it is more repugnamt to reason to endeavor to confine all within the same measure, and to extend complete equality to the institutions of civil life.<\/p>\n

There is an almost infinite dissimilarity of men, as parts of the whole. If they are to be all equal, and each is to follow his own will, the State will appear most deformed.<\/p>\n

~ Pope Leo XIII (1884)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nIt is not true that all have equal rights in civil society. It is not true that there exists non lawful social hierarchy.<\/p>\n

~ Pope Pius XI (1937)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nThis is how one arrives at the dictatorship of the proletariat, the class hostile to the hierarchical principle, which latter, however, is the reflection of the divine order. This is why the proletariat professes atheism.<\/p>\n

~ Valentin Tomberg<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

To recapitulate: social hierarchy is the reflexion of divine order. That is why opponents of the hierarchical order, from Thomas Paine to the sanscullottes to the Bosheviks profess atheism. Atheists, then, who oppose egalitarianism, can do so only on the basis of the will to power and not on any moral authority.<\/p>\n

Now the popes concede that there is an equality of nature — the essence of being human — but insist that the inequality of accidental qualities is legitimate and just. If is what those web sites mean by egalitarianism, they would be correct. In that case, they insist that there is a difference in human nature itself; that is, different individuals, groups, or races differ essentially. It is not clear what they would mean by that, especially since they base their arguments on genetic grounds (that is, accidental qualities). If there are essential differences among humans, (that is, differences by nature) or beings that appear outwardly to be human, then they need to make this clear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every doctrine is true in what it asserts but false in, or because of, what it excludes. ~ Leibniz I’ve been looking at some writings from the “right”, or “tradition”, or “conservatism” of various persuasions and I see that there many misconceptions, misunderstandings, and half-truths (i.e., wrong in what they … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-catholicism","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=344"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14208,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344\/revisions\/14208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}