The Paradox of Equality

1. The paragraph written by Pinker that clawed at my personal beliefs the most was on page 5; "Let me begin with the fear of inequality. The idea is that if we're blank slates, we must be equal. That follows from the mathematical truism that zero equals zero equals zero." This underlying philosophy and explanation of the theory of the blank slate is a perfect summary of why I disagree with the concept of the blank slate entirely.

2. Equality is a sensitive topic which can often be misunderstood because there are many different situations in which equality applies, but in each situation, the details of what the "equality" is varies and can be misinterpreted. I firmly believe that people are not born possessing a "blank slate" for a brain which would render all people equal at the time of birth. There exists an abundance of sources that cause discrepancies in each individuals mind at birth, and even more variations can be caused throughout the development of the child. Such discrepancies can be seen even when the children have the same parents. People vary neurologically, which is a variation that is present at birth. I firmly believe that much of our ability to learn and process information is genetic, and that not all minds are "blank," instead, some people possess better mental equipment naturally for learning and comprehending information. This is why even in the most nurturing of environments, developing children and adolescents can fall behind their peers. They were simply not born with the drive or discipline that is needed in society to succeed, and are thus incapable of taking advantage of the opportunities that may surround them to better themselves as members of society. This speaks so strongly to me because the very thought of everyone being equal in intelligence is terrifying because of the threat it poses to progress. He touches on this in a later paragraph which talks about that if equality is a fact of everyone's "slate" then more successful people are viewed as larcenous, as if they steal for their successes. While some successful people definitely "steal" to reach higher positions, that is not applicable to all situations of success. My father is an excellent example of this, he was born to a working class family, and never received praise or encouragement for his achievements, and while his brothers and sisters failed to go on to higher education, he did all he could to get through college and dental school, proving all of their criticisms wrong. I would argue that this inequality in their drive and motivation is something that is ingrained in their brains, and is a clear indication that not all people are equal. I feel as though I have inherited a lot of my fathers drive which has pushed me to be successful despite lack of verbal encouragement from either of my parents.

When someone becomes more successful than a majority of the population, it seems unfair to those who do not pursue success, and thus causes animosity toward successful people. This same concept is the basis for why the Jews have been arguably the single most hated and persecuted ethnic group throughout history. Jews historically have been successful, typically healthier (due to their knowledge on the importance of hygiene) and because of the notion that they are the "chosen people".

3. At first glance, my opinion on a matter such as the blank slate could be seen as discriminatory, as if I am suggesting that people in society do not deserve equality because they were not all born with equal levels of intelligence or other brain processes needed to have social equality. This is not what I am arguing at all. Being a mental or intellectual equal to someone does not suggest how they deserve to be treated in society or pose a threat to cause discrimination or other prejudice. I know for a fact that I have a higher drive and motivation than many people in society, but there are others who have a higher drive than I do, and perhaps were born with a more complex slate that better acquires knowledge, putting them at a biological advantage. It goes without saying that mathematics comes naturally to some people while leaving other people pulling their hair out in frustration with basic algebra problems, while others are brilliant in memorizing facts, but miss overall concepts in a lesson. Certain people are just equipped with such ability to process different information in different manners, it is neurological, based on the connections in their brain that determine processing speed, storage of information and recall ability. It strongly relies on how their slate is developed, not just at the point of birth but later through their development as a child and young adult. This is a strong basis for science wars, because it is a battle of not only nature vs. nurture, but also pure genetic advantages vs. the possibility of a universal equality. These concepts need to constantly be investigated, because the rash acceptance of one theory as the solid truth could completely ignore and alienate reasons for why there are differences in intelligence among people and the variations in "success" and achievement across cultures and societies. I care because I do not believe we all start at zero, and such a notion is very ignorant and lacking in taking into account all the variables that account for human development. Everyone's slate exists, but each slate has its own number, unique to the person who holds that "slate", and it can change based on how that person develops in society. Without neurological research and views on the mind, important details of how to best improve the mind can be overlooked, and society would fail to progress intellectually. I was not born a zero, and neither were many other people in society. There is nothing wrong with being born a zero, but to group all people as being born as zeros is unfair and undermines individual ability, doing injustice to nature and creates an impairment that didn't naturally exist in the first place, which is unfair to not only the person who is made to believe that he is mentally equal to his peers, but to society as a whole.