Tiffany Taylor (University of Chicago) on Economic Inequality

“The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.”
- Aristotle

People often equate economic inequality to the flawed nature of capitalism, but perhaps the true flaw is our reasoning. Perhaps we humans have it backwards. Imagine a world where everyone is treated equally, a world where social ownership exists. Then what? Imagine the types of problems that are bound to emerge. Could exploitation still occur? Yes. Could unemployment still occur? Yes. Could a lack of motivation consume us all? Yes. So in effect, we could still end up a nation of people exploited, unemployed, and consumed by some ill. In effect, we could still end up a nation horribly unequal. This is because, contrary to popular belief, no one type of economic system is the problem. I propose a different solution; one that requires looking at the problem through a social mobility lens. I propose that capitalism or it’s alternative, socialism could never be the direct or sole cause of our nation’s woes. Our problem, regardless of our quest to become more capitalistic or socialistic, or some hybrid of the sort, is not economic inequality. Inequality in social mobility, the type that causes extreme poverty, is the single greatest problem facing America today. Perhaps John Ralston Saul, an international essayist, should have reformed his suggestion to, “everyone” should have “an equal right to inequality.” Perhaps this right is the only type of right we should be fighting for.