Thursday 23 October 2014

What should be the goal of any society?

"Harrison Bergeron" puts forth the notion that it is not absolute equality that we must desire in our society. As we are humans, each one of us will be different from everyone else, and it is this difference that adds color and creativity to the world. If it is absolute equality we seek, Vonnegut warns that a dystopian society like the Bergerons' is what we are going to get. 


Instead of equality, we must pursue ...

"Harrison Bergeron" puts forth the notion that it is not absolute equality that we must desire in our society. As we are humans, each one of us will be different from everyone else, and it is this difference that adds color and creativity to the world. If it is absolute equality we seek, Vonnegut warns that a dystopian society like the Bergerons' is what we are going to get. 


Instead of equality, we must pursue equity, which is the idea that people need different things in order to be successful. For example, a school with a low attendance rate in a crime-infested suburb should get more resources than a school in a comfortable, crime-free suburb. 


I think Albert Einstein said it best: 



But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.



True fairness should not mean that everyone is the same. True fairness is treating everyone with the same concern and support so that they can become successful in their own way. 


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