Equality: The Self-Evident Freedom of the Human Mind
by: Brendan

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." At the time of the writing of the Declaration of Independence these words were a bold statement, the likes of which would bring nations to war and inspire the creation of new democracies for centuries to come. Yet nearly two hundred and fifty years later the concept of equality is still highly contested. Depending on how one defines the word, equality can represent anything from a mathematical equation, to the rights of two human beings. It is regarding the latter where the black and white definition of the term equality begins to fade into various shades of grey. What is it to be equal? Is equality defined by how smart one is, how much money one has, or whether a man and a woman are capable of the same physical feats of strength? Or is there a deeper, universal meaning of equality, which the signatories of our Declaration of Independence had in mind when they put their lives on the line by affixing their names to one of the most revolutionary documents of all time? Undoubtedly, this is the case. Otherwise why take the risk of losing ones property, life and good name? Clearly our nations founders were conscious of such a higher concept of equality. Equality is more than just an adjective to describe the similarities between two objects or people. Equality is a state of being in which every individual is entitled to the same rights and opportunities regardless of any factor which may be used for the purposes of discrimination.

When debating the equality of two groups of people regarding social or political circumstances it is imperative to be clear of this definition of equality in order to effectively argue, for example, the equality of men and women. If how one defines equality is ignored, or merely assumed, the debate can quickly come to a dead end as one person might be arguing the physical differences between men and women, while the other is debating the intellectual equality. I found myself in exactly this situation recently during a discussion with an ethics professor about the equality, or lack thereof, between the sexes. He was adamant that there is simply no such thing as equality, and would defend his position by citing differences in physical ability between men and women, or the traditional role of women in society to suggest that they are not equal from a business standpoint. Had I convinced the professor of my definition of equality, the argument would have gone down an entirely different road. However, in this case he controlled the definition. Therefore he was able to frame the debate on his own terms, giving himself the upper hand in the argument. Obviously the way one defines equality is important while debating whether or not two persons are equal.

Those who argue that people are not equal to each other often state their case in a very narrow set of terms. For example: black people and white people are of entirely different races and cultures, therefore are not equal; men are generally stronger than women, therefore women should not fight in combat; Gay marriage is untraditional, therefore gays do not have the same rights to marry as straight couples. These arguments are all positions taken from the physical traits of different groups of people. On the surface, this concept of equality may seem accurate. Physical and behavioral differences do exist between different races and cultures, men and women have different biological purposes and gays and straights have different lifestyles. However, the key phrase in this characterization is on the surface. Those are all examples of the black and white comparative explanation of equality. To rely on such a narrow definition when discussing equality in moral and ethical circumstances is intellectually lethargic. To truly understand equality one must go beneath the surface and look deeper than the color of ones skin, ones gender, or sexual preference.

If equality is to be understood as an intellectual and philosophical concept, then there is no place for physical attributes in the application of its definition. A person may not be born with equal economic means or social status, yet that is not necessary in order to realize ones true equality. When the realization is made that to be equal is in fact a self evident truth, the human mind then reaches a freedom once unknown to most of the population of the world.

That simple phrase, self evident, from the Declaration of Independence, plays an integral role in the definition of equality. At the time of the American Revolution that statement was a slap in the face to any and every form of authority. At that point in history it was some form of authority which granted people their freedom, told them what religion to practice, or what role they could play in society. The human mind at that time had not yet progressed to the level where it could understand that man need not submit itself to a predetermined authoritarian hierarchy. Man had always lived to serve the will of an emperor, a king, or a religious figurehead. There was no recognized concept that persons were born free and with inalienable rights. By declaring those rights as self-evident the founders declared mankind to be free, not because of any privilege granted by the authority of a king, but because upon birth, the human mind has no master. By signing that document, the founders declared that it was no mans place to proclaim ones self superior to another; and they embarked upon an experiment to create a republic where all men were equal and free.

In essence, equality is a type of freedom. In this case, it is the freedom of the human mind. It is the idea that one is born with the right to think freely, worship or not worship freely, to pursue any path one wishes to take in life. For those living in the United States, this concept should be realized and appreciated to the highest degree. For at the time of the founding of this nation, such intellectual freedom that makes every person born equal was not an ideal shared by most governments of the time. As Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to Jean de Meusiner in 1786: "In America, no other distinction between man and man had ever been known but that of persons in office exercising powers by the authority of the laws, and private individuals. Among these last, the poorest laborer stood on equal ground with the wealthiest millionaire, and generally on a more favored one whenever their rights seem to jar." And yet over two centuries later, while some still claim rights while denying them to others, it takes only a brief look into history, or perhaps a more thorough look into ones soul, to discover our self evident equality lies within each one of us, and our potential is only limited by the boundaries of the human mind.