Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Bits of French Wit and Wisdom

In a society of equals, the individual acts against equality. In a society of unequals, the majority works against inequality. ~ Paul Valéry 

Equality is less beautiful but more just than inequality. ~ Alfred de Vigny 

Reflections on equality: It isn't at all in the natural order of things. The strongest and most intelligent animal rules. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 

A society where equality of conditions would become strictly guaranteed and maintained would become passive. ~ Jules Romaines 

Our social personality is a creation of the thought of others. ~ Marcel Proust 

Society always has a share of responsibility in the bad behavior of its members. ~ Pierre Delore

25 comments:

bagoh20 said...

Equality and peace are things that comfortable people only think they want a lot more of. The grass is greener, you know.

bagoh20 said...

"Equality is less beautiful but more just than inequality. ~ Alfred de Vigny "

To me, that seems 100% backwards.

bagoh20 said...

The idea that everyone suffering equally is justice is a defect of the intellect. Luckily, I don't have one of those.

chickelit said...

To me, that seems 100% backwards.

What kind of beauty pageant would feminists run (assuming they had to run one?)

bagoh20 said...

So you have 100 children. 90 of them are handicapped. 10 are healthy. Is it more just to cripple the 10 as well? Equality.

deborah said...

"Our social personality is a creation of the thought of others. ~ Marcel Proust"

Intriguing. Does our planned behavior cause The Other to view us in the manner we wish to be seen, or are we processed and graded independently of that?

bagoh20 said...

"What kind of beauty pageant would feminists run (assuming they had to run one?)"

I'd assume it would look pretty much like one in Saudi Arabia.

bagoh20 said...

Instead of burkas there would be sensible pants suits.

chickelit said...

Are you suggesting that feminists run the media in Saudi Arabia?

chickelit said...

Intriguing. Does our planned behavior cause The Other to view us in the manner we wish to be seen, or are we processed and graded independently of that?

I wondered about that one in the context of online society.

Michael Haz said...

In a society of equals, the individual acts against equality.

In a society of equals there would be no inequality for an individual to act against.

Michael Haz said...

Our social personality is a creation of the thought of others

Which others? Because I want to know whose thoughts created my personality.

I don't care for the Giants, so I can rule out at least one guy. Whew.

chickelit said...

In a society of equals there would be no inequality for an individual to act against.

Aren't you missing his irony? Individuals don't want to be equal. Yet people collectively don't like inequality.

deborah said...

"I wondered about that one in the context of online society."

Ah.

Michael Haz said...

Aren't you missing his irony?

I didn't read it as ironical. I read it as a sociopolitical goal. If all are equal then there is no need for an individual to act, hence no societal anger.

chickelit said...

I didn't read it as ironical. I read it as a sociopolitical goal. If all are equal then there is no need for an individual to act, hence no societal anger.

But there would certainly be a loss of freedom, correct? That alone would be a driving force to change. ne c'est pas?

ricpic said...

Did Pascal give the slightest thought to equality? No, because he was born prior to the catastrophe of the French Revolution. All the Frogs quoted here were born after the Revolution and were schooled in the big lie that equality is the holy grail. We are all, not just the Frogs, born into that world. Ergo the immense theft (we are all subjected to) in the name of fairness that dwarfs what the Sun King stole from his subjects.

Trooper York said...

I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam-
-Popeye Le Sailor Man

Trooper York said...

I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam-
-Popeye Le Sailor Man

Trooper York said...

I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam-
-Popeye Le Sailor Man

Michael Haz said...

But there would certainly be a loss of freedom, correct?

Of course. But is that important to the philosopher? The French are all about egalitarianism.

Trooper York said...

Say what bitch? I don't think so
- Ike Turner

ndspinelli said...

"The difference between genius and stupidity is there are limits to genius." Albert Einstein

Titus said...

I Am What I Am-La Cage Au Folles.

everyone dance.

ken in tx said...

The French don't really believe in equality, no matter what their national motto says. I was rejected, at the last minute, for an exchange officer assignment with the French Air Force. I was told by officer assignments in San Antonio, that it was because the French had just noticed from my bio that I was previously enlisted. The idea that an enlisted man could become an officer was totally alien to the French.

It was very disappointing. The family had passports ready and everything. My wife once lived in Switzerland and speaks French. It could have been a dream assignment.