Liberty and Equality

And when you're looking for your freedom
Nobody seems to care
And you can't find the door
Can't find it anywhere
--Eagles

Nice discussion of liberty and equality from a philosophical perspective. Are liberty and equality compatible? If liberty is defined as individual freedom to pursue one's interests unencumbered by forceful interference from others, then the answer to this question depends on your definition of equality.

There are two primary definitions of equality. One is equality under the law. You are equal to others if the law does not discriminate based on your wealth level, skin color, pedigree, etc. This definition is compatible with liberty. Because no one can can use the law to benefit themselves at the expense of another, freedom is enhanced.

The other definition of equality is a material one. You are equal to others if you have the same amount of economic resources as others. When economic incomes are similar, people are equal. This definition is generally incompatible with liberty.

Because variation among people is axiomatic, people are born with different skills, interests, backgrounds, opportunities, etc. If  people with more voluntarily share with people who have less (a.k.a. charity) to the point where the sharing equally distributes economic resources among all then, yes, liberty and equality are compatible--since those with more voluntarily gave to those who had less.

However, if people with more are forced to surrender resources to those who have less, then liberty and equality are obviously incompatible--the freedoms of some are compromised for the benefit of others.

Naturally, if such plunder is also legalized, then people are not being treated equally under the law.

Generally, then, equality under the law and material equality are unlikely to co-exist.