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equality is a formal attrubute. a particular subset of human beings (citizens), insofar as they are legal subjects, are formally equal before the law.
under the present socio-economic order, there is obviously little if any correlation between this formal attribute (a feature that defines the legal subject) and substantive attributes.
you could imagine maybe a direct democratic regime, which would bring the two into closer contact.
but even then, there would remain a distinction between levels.
formal equality and substantive inequality seems to be a direct mapping of christian assumptions: equality refers to the soul, inequality to everything else. that folk can accomodiate this contradiction without problems is among the legacies of christianity.
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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