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Full Idea
As things are, democracy is the enemy of comprehensive equality, once the poor cease to be a majority.
Gist of Idea
Democracy is opposed to equality, if the poor are not a majority
Source
Thomas Nagel (Equality and Partiality [1991], Ch.9)
Book Ref
Nagel,Thomas: 'Equality and Partiality' [OUP 1995], p.89
A Reaction
This is obvious once you think about it, but it is well worth saying, because it is tempting to think that we live in an 'equal' society, merely because we are equal in things such as voting rights and equality before the law.
| 6479 | Noninterference requires justification as much as interference does [Nagel] |
| 6446 | In ethics we abstract from our identity, but not from our humanity [Nagel] |
| 6448 | A legitimate system is one accepted as both impartial and reasonably partial [Nagel] |
| 6447 | Game theory misses out the motivation arising from the impersonal standpoint [Nagel] |
| 6477 | I can only universalise a maxim if everyone else could also universalise it [Nagel] |
| 6450 | Morality must be motivating, and not because of pre-moral motives [Nagel] |
| 6478 | Democracy is opposed to equality, if the poor are not a majority [Nagel] |