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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]
| 23814 | Every human yearns for an unattainable transcendent good [Weil] |
| 23815 | We cannot equally respect what is unequal, so equal respect needs a shared ground [Weil] |
| 23816 | Attention to a transcendent reality motivates a duty to foster the good of humanity [Weil] |
| 23817 | We need both equality (to attend to human needs) and hierarchy (as a scale of responsibilities) [Weil] |
| 23819 | Deliberate public lying should be punished [Weil] |
| 23818 | We have liberty in the space between nature and accepted authority [Weil] |
| 23821 | Crime should be punished, to bring the perpetrator freely back to morality [Weil] |
| 23823 | Life needs risks to avoid sickly boredom [Weil] |
| 23820 | People need personal and collective property, and a social class lacking property is shameful [Weil] |
| 23822 | We all need to partipate in public tasks, and take some initiative [Weil] |
| 23824 | Where human needs are satisfied we find happiness, friendship and beauty [Weil] |