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Full Idea
The human soul has need of equality and of hierarchy. Equality is the public recognition …of the principal that an equal degree of attention is due to the needs of all human beings. Hierarchy is the scale of responsibilities.
Gist of Idea
We need both equality (to attend to human needs) and hierarchy (as a scale of responsibilities)
Source
Simone Weil (Draft Statement of Human Obligations [1943], p.228)
Book Ref
Weil,Simone: 'An Anthology' [Penguin 1986], p.228
A Reaction
This is the conservative aspect of Weil's largely radical political thinking. Presumably what we respect in these people is their responsibilies, and not their mere rank. Idle members of the British House of Lords have no rank in this hierarchy.
Related Idea
Idea 23831 The essence of power is illusory prestige [Weil]
| 23393 | Confucianism assumes that all good developments have happened, and there is only one Way [Norden on Kongzi (Confucius)] |
| 7257 | All modern social systems seem to be conspiracies of the rich [More,T] |
| 21988 | In the 1840s Hegel seemed to defend society being right as it is, as a manifestation of Mind [Hegel, by Singer] |
| 23817 | We need both equality (to attend to human needs) and hierarchy (as a scale of responsibilities) [Weil] |
| 23829 | National leaders want to preserve necessary order - but always the existing order [Weil] |
| 23107 | Prosperity is a higher social virtue than justice [Kekes] |
| 22259 | Conservatives are either individualistic, or communal [Sandel] |
| 7588 | Allegiance is fundamental to the conservative view of society [Scruton] |
| 8990 | So-called 'liberation' is the enemy of freedom, destroying the very structures that are needed [Scruton] |
| 20451 | Belief that humans are wicked leads to authoritarian politics [Critchley] |
| 22838 | Societies need shared values, so conservatism is right if rational discussion of values is impossible [Charvet] |
| 23126 | Conservatives often want peace, prosperity and tolerance, but not social fairness [Gopnik] |
| 23132 | Conservatives believe obedience and rank are essential to social order [Gopnik] |