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(Dee Speaking) | ||||||
MAIN PATH: John | |||||||
I have a rough idea of what you are calling social equality, but
I have a problem with the direction you're taking. The problem
is that I think you want to use the power of the state to achieve
the equality you want. You speak of "social policies" but I think
you mean "government policies."
The problem is that if our government acts thoroughly and logically
to eliminate ideas of inferiority from our culture, the distinction
between public and private spheres of action will be completely lost.
You will have merged state and society. You will have created the liberal
nightmare.
If we take this approach, there is no limit to how much of our
lives could, and should, be regulated by the state. For example,
it used to be said that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints would not ordain black ministers. It is clearly true that
the Catholic Church will not ordain women as priests. Many churches will not knowingly hire a homosexual minister. If we follow
out the logic of your argument, the state would simply forbid
these things. That would be an unprecedented interference with
private liberty. As I said before, the distinction between public
and private spheres would be eliminated.
To go back to our discussion of liberalism, I would also say that this kind of a project, if carried to its logical conclusions, would destroy liberal society.
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