Which is more important to you?

Freedom or Equality?

 

Freedom

 

Sadly, there are many people on this site who support COERCIVE EQUALITY over freedom.

I believe in equal protection under law, by redistribution of everything is coercive and wouldn't work anyhow. People are different. They have different values and would do different things. Finally a class would arise anyhow and the system would have to rely on the power of the gun.

 

Equality

 

This is a false dichotomy.

 

...A false dichotomy...

Really, is it? Although it's really clear to me...

 

It is not a false dichotomy. It is a personal choice, not compulsory. I never said you can't have equality and freedom, I merely asked that if you had to vote (obviously you don't HAVE to)...which is more important?

 

equality is freedom, if we are all equal then we a free from a hiearchy system

 

Forced equality is NOT freedom.

Although, I do understand your definition. There is no applicable way to achieve this without killing a whole lot of people first or establishing a temporary dictatorship (i.e. Soviet Russia). That would never work out.

Furthermore, if everyone were equal, how would you keep them that way? Some people have more ambition to progress than others? People are different and need to be. How would we learn if everyone were equal? How would we improve? Unless, of course, you are assuming everyone were perfect. Then, it may work out. But, we know that isn't reality.

Freedom, on the other hand, is applicable to reality. However, the only rule would be that your freedom ends where it becomes initial coercion to my freedom and vice versa.

 

Then why can't I vote for both? They're equally important, and you can't really have one without the other.

 

You're comparing the principle of freedom not with the principle of equality but with an ideological interpretation of equality along the lines of communism. To compare like with like you would need to compare the principle of freedom with the principle of equality of opportunity, not "enforced equality" which by definition proscribes freedom.

 

Freedom doesn't have to be coercive. Equality (in all areas) can only be achieved through force which is the opposite of freedom.

 

Ahh, yes. But, equal opportunity is only part of the totality of equality. And how to achieve this, but through force?

Perhaps one day mankind will fall in love with itself and equality and freedom will exist on together, but until that day, we need to open the doors to freedom which can increase education leading to equality, rather than force equality at the cost of certain freedom.

 

in anarco syndicalism ( a form of socialism) u get both...thats my vote

 

there are 2 parts to equality: economic equality, and social equality (or freedom)... u cant have 1 without the other
and paying taxes is about as coercive as agreeing to not steal, or kill

 

freedom means nothign without equality, slave society had freedom for whites and virtually no taxes, but not equality among whites, indians, mexicans, and blacks, so there was no true freedom, in the dark ages there was complete fredom from federal government, the poor were economically enslaved to their land(which is what happens when theres no economic equality, or fed redistribution programs).
freedom for all is an aspect of equality

 

also for the poll, i dont liek ur definition of equality ,could u maybe change it to:The belief that all citizens should have the same access to power and fair treatment in all aspects of society, whether in political, social, economic, or legal areas.

 

freedom is a term thrown around like rocks by every empirical figure who's had a bad, evil plan in his head... hitler, george bush... "freedom" is a word they use to control you with... And there is no freedom without equality... without equality, those on the lower scale will never be free.

 

under this supposed freedom you speak of the poor do not have decisions.. they're forced to slave under the corporations that rule them.. what decisions do they really have... You just want to be free to exploit your fellow man, and make a profit off of him...

you are still going off about totalitarianism, really, which has nothing to do with equality, socialism, anything. totalitarianism was a stalinist idea.

 

Freedom. But in truth you can't have one without the other. And I'm very sorry to say, none of which has been totality achieved in this country.