When Equality Becomes Evil

Lawrence W. Reed

Equality before the law is an indisputably good thing. Using force to make people equal is an entirely different story.

Memorize the following line, teach it to your children, and shout it from the rooftops every chance you get. It’s one of the most important truths you’ll ever learn or teach: Free people are not equal, and equal people are not free.

Your first reaction might be, “I thought equality was supposed to be a wonderful thing, something we should all strive for, but this sounds like a rejection of it.”

As the old saying goes, the devil is in the details. Whether equality is good or bad depends on the kind that you’re talking about. Context makes all the difference in the world.

Equality before the law—such as being judged innocent or guilty based on …

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