Liberty v. Equality: Philosophy Forums

Liberty v. Equality
The great political debate

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Liberty v. Equality

TheRoadNotTaken
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Posted 06/06/08 - 05:07 AM: Subject: Liberty v. Equality	#1
American history is wrought with ideological debate between those who place an emphasis on the value of individual liberty and those who believe in the application of social equality. What, indeed, should America and, moreover, the world, hold as primary and true in social organization? Thoughts.....?
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." -Robert Frost

natureculturenothing
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Posted 06/06/08 - 09:37 AM:	#2
Depends on which elements of the individual are allowed liberty. As it is "America and, moreover, the world," allows the divided (multiple "I"s) mental-emotional self to thrive, calls this the individual, and speaks only of and to it. Allowing the nobler individual (undivided) self to have power (and speech), would naturally create equality.

Prime_Mover
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Posted 06/06/08 - 10:55 AM:	#3
Anyone who favors "equality" over "liberty" implicitly believes that he has the right to make you sacrifice your rights.
The Promethean Movement http://www.promethea.org

ManiacJack
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Posted 06/06/08 - 12:45 PM:	#4
The two are not independent of each other, which seems to be the biggest confusion. Though, it's better for politics that way. If everyone has liberty, you have equality, right? I guess it depends on your definition of liberty. 'Real liberty' equates this. I'm all for that undivided individual. Because an individual divided is not a complete individual. And how could anyone trust a partial person? What if his other part were Bear-Pig?!
Future Tense Passed Relief the Escapist wrote: Bullshit, self-deception, self-aggrandizement. Explains everything, really...

VichyInsurrection
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Posted 06/06/08 - 06:44 PM:	#5
I would side entirely on the side of liberty, since 'equality' is a bunch of nonsense cooked up by the envious and perpetuated by politicians so they can have even more excuses to bring down the booted heel.
“The men of the future will yet fight their way to many a liberty that we do not even miss.” - Max Stirner

keda
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Posted 06/06/08 - 10:55 PM:	#6
Give me liberty or give me death - Patrick Henry
All about making money Free Europe Now How to fix your country The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. -Benjamin Franklin If my sons did not want wars, there would be none - Gutle Rothschild It's not the people who vote that count, it's the people who count the votes - Josef Stalin

swstephe
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Posted 06/07/08 - 05:46 AM:	#7
All people are equal but some are more equal than others -- Animal Farm. There is an interesting master/slave dichotomy. The slaves are told that they desire liberty, (from their masters), and equality, (to their masters) -- so they tend to be easy to manipulate to accept whatever leads to those improved states, even if it means sacrificing liberty and present equality. I think this was realized a long time ago in political science and used to build power. Thus, you see "democracies", (which imply everyone's vote is equal and unrestricted), which ultimately result in nothing more than the same power structure as before behind closed doors.
Ethics is the measuring of morality. Morality is the measuring of good. Good is the measuring of benefit. Benefit is the measure of values.

Absolutely Relative
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Posted 06/07/08 - 06:12 AM:	#8
Equality is a myth that leads to violence. Individual liberty is all well and good, but remember that a society is a collection of individuals. If you feel your rights are as important as the other 6 billion people on Earth combined, you need to see a headshrinker.
It is what it is.

kris
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Posted 06/07/08 - 09:11 AM:	#9
I believe in equality of liberty. In practice, democracies approach this ideal. However a lot of the world is governed by autocracies, monarchies and theocracies, etc., political systems that legitimise either inequality of liberty or no liberty at all to individuals.
kris http://kris10846902.tripod.com/

VichyInsurrection
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Posted 06/09/08 - 12:19 AM:	#10
I believe in equality of liberty. In practice, democracies approach this ideal. Haha, all bend thy knee in homage to the Cult of Democracy, the Law of the Crowd, the Myth of the Divine Mob. The only thing that has kept democracy from being totally disrespectful in the many places it has existed was somewhat liberal, fairly decentralized nature of Europe and the US. It is the non-actuality of democracy in progress, and elements of liberalism in ideology, that kept it from totally devolving into the populous rule and bloodshed of the French Revolution. And now it is ever more populous, and the democratic mobs are ready to delude themselves into greater slavery at the ballot box and listen to Pravda tell them how they are free, and spreading freedom. Just remember, the people have never been right. And the State has always been a device to control and enslave men. Religious stupidity, and more dangerous than all the rest.
“The men of the future will yet fight their way to many a liberty that we do not even miss.” - Max Stirner

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