Equality & Social Organization

Basically, society is a group of people pursuing the common objective of survival. Stripped of all rhetorical excess, this is the point at which social organization begins. However, even at the survival level, this implies the survival of every individual; and if we accept that everybody is entitled to survive, then we have conceded the foundation of the notion of equality.

...The more I have thought, therefore, about social organization, the more I have concluded that here is only one supreme, moral imperative that cannot be affected by time, by circumstance, by the seasons, by man’s moods or intellectual distractions, by the injunctions of philosophers or the sermons of pastors; and it is the notion that social organization exists to serve everybody or it has no moral foundation.

At this point, one has to be clear that the notion of equality in society does not imply either that everybody possesses equal talents or interests, or capabilities; nor that everybody ought to receive the same reward for the function they perform. Obviously, it is of the essence of the human condition that the variations of human personality are infinite. Equally, the fact of specialization within the social organization implies a difference of function, which, in turn, leads to differing rewards. But the fact that society cannot function effectively without differentials in rewards together with the fact that men are manifestly not equal in talent must not be allowed to obscure the central purpose of social organization. This is, and must always be, the promotion of the welfare of every member of the human race. The moment that this intellectual distinction is understood, the concept of equality becomes clear and free from confusions that arise from other aspects of the social mechanism. If you begin with the notion of equality, all the other moral considerations in social organization take their place. Authority ceases to be an aim in itself and becomes merely the precondition of the survival of the whole group. Individual liberty ceases to be a petulant distraction and becomes the extent to which all men may pursue their creative potential within the framework of social survival. And to the extent that the requirements of survival conflict with the trust for individual expression, the notion of equality provides a frame of reference within which a solution may be found.” – (Manley, 17-18)

Manley, Michael. The Politics of Change: A Jamaican Testament. Heinemann Publishers (Caribbean) Ltd., Kingston, Jamaica. 1974, 1990.