Global Politics
Spring I, 2012
Luca Sidrid Hasko
ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL
By
Luca Sidrid Hasko
The aim of this research paper is to understand what the statement “All men are created
equal” means and what its implications are. In the first place we will see which elements are
evidences of equality, and which elements are the sources of inequality. Afterward we shall
analyze two key studies that will help us to see that equality is not merely a fancy idea that man
just made up, but something real that we ought to pursue. To help our analysis we shall use two
theories of international relations, Realism and Liberalism, and then we will finally see what
role globalization plays in the pursuit of equality.
Elements of Equality
The most important fount to which we can refer to as evidence of equality is law, for in
every modern court we clearly see stated that “the law is equal for everyone” and that “everyone
is equal in front of the law.”
Law can fairly be regarded as a set of rules or norms that the members of a society are
expected to follow.
It could be argued that different civilizations of different historical eras have had quite
different laws, and that equality most of the time was not recognized, but was actually denied. In
my opinion this fact, not only is not sufficient proof to deny the existence of equality, but is
rather a confirmation of the fact that equality ought to be really pursued. As a matter of fact, if
instead of thinking of the inequalities of the past, of the present, and of the future, we focus our
attention on the efforts made to overcome those inequalities, we will find ourselves pretty
amazed.
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Global Politics
Spring I, 2012
Luca Sidrid Hasko
I believe that those efforts to overcome injustices in general and inequalities in particular
are due to the very nature of human beings. All of us can recall that when we were children and
did something bad to someone else, our parents or our mentors asked us, “How would you like if
someone did the same to you?” This common rebuke discloses a very important fact about
human nature, i.e. that human beings are able to feel sympathy for others, and that is why the
rebuke has such a deep effect on us. This ability allows us to understand when something is right
or wrong, fair or unfair, just or unjust. If we were not able to do so, there would have been
nothing to bother about.
Mr. C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity (1952) said that people feel upon them the pressure
of some sort of law that tells them how they ought to behave, named the “Law of Right and
Wrong”, or the “Law of Human Nature” (1952), and that everyone is aware of it, children as well
as adults, educated people as well as uneducated ones. That is what causes us to feel sorry when
we misbehave, or to feel sorry for others when they are in a bad situation.
The ability to be sympathetic, and the guidelines given by the Law of Human Nature,
provide people with a yardstick that allows them to determine that some laws are better than
others. Then we can say that laws are subject to improvement, and that some laws are, so to
speak, more advanced than others and that the closer the laws of the state are to the Law of
Human Nature, the better.
Law of the State VS Law of Human Nature – The White Rose
One can be tempted to say that good laws are the ones which happen to be convenient to
the society, regardless of their degree of fairness, or morality. Many times States have adopted
laws according to this principle, but we have many examples that counter this way of doing,
which in my opinion should be discouraged.
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Global Politics
Spring I, 2012
Luca Sidrid Hasko
During the second world war, Germany enforced racial laws that proclaimed the Aryan
race the best, and discriminated against the Jews (and other groups), regarding them as an
inferior race. If we were Germans at that time we would have had every interest in embracing
those laws, but something would have told us that doing so was wrong, as today we well know
these laws to be wrong. And although many people did embrace those laws since they were
tempted by the advantages given by their status of Aryans, many others gave their lives to
oppose them.
Sophie and Hans Scholl (22 and 25 years old), students of the University of Munich, and
members of the White Rose, were found hiding leaflets against the Nazi regime on campus.
Found guilty of high treason, they were sentenced to death and hanged four days later.
While Sophie was being interrogated by a police inspector, he asked her to abjure her
anti-Nazi ideas and if she did the consequences of her action would have been much lighter,
since her means to oppose the regime were not violent. However, she refused to do so, and asked
him why her brother and she were being prosecuted when their means were non violent. The
police inspector told her that he was given the law of the state, and if people happened not to act
according to that law, it was his duty to prosecute them. Then she replied that the same laws he
was appealing to, before Hitler’s regime, had guaranteed freedom of speech and freedom of
expression. He then asked her if he could not rely on those laws what could he rely on, and she
told him to rely on his conscience.
This is what Mr. Lewis meant by Law of Human Nature, people’s consciences, for
conscience is the part of our mind that tells us whether the things that we do are morally right or
wrong.
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Global Politics
Spring I, 2012
Luca Sidrid Hasko
The case of Sophie and Hans Scholl is a perfect example of how laws that are convenient,
must not be considered good laws a priori, since, as in this example, they might turn to be
inhumane; and it is also a perfect example of how people who might benefit from those laws are
pushed by their conscience or by the Law of Human Nature to oppose them, for they know that it
is the right thing to do, and that they ought to do so.
Do you see what follows? It would be very easy and convenient to say that men are not
created equal, but it would be a false path which would lead us into an inhumane and selfdestructive society, and we are called to oppose to that kind of society.
So far we have discussed equality essentially from a moral point of view, and have seen
that inequalities are the result of moral corruption, but we must consider that there are also other
material factors that affect this issue. We will discuss them in the following chapter.
Origins of Inequality – Environmental Determinism
Environmental determinism indicates the belief that the environment in which a society
happens to develop plays an important role in its development.
The sociologist, Professor Jared Diamond, is one of the biggest supporters of this theory.
In his documentary, Guns, Germs and Steel (2005) Mr. Diamond shows how environmental
factors such as climate, the shape of the land, and the resources of a territory, can determine an
actual advantage or disadvantage for developing societies, either from a cultural and
technological point of view. A favorable climate positively affects agriculture, a well shaped
territory allows good communication and stimulates commercial exchange, and a territory full of
natural resources leads to prosperity and technological development. In contrast, the lack of such
factors could lead to misery, isolation, and underdevelopment.
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Global Politics
Spring I, 2012
Luca Sidrid Hasko
Cynically, states would say that they were not the cause of these inequalities, and that
they have no obligations toward underdeveloped countries. I say “cynically” because just as they
remind themselves that they were not the cause of such inequalities (although sometimes they
have been – let’s just think of colonialism) they should also remind themselves that they were
not responsible for their fortune either. Remembering this, what sensible people would think is
that they ought to help those countries that happened to be less fortunate than their own, and act
accordingly. Fortunately, we have examples of such people.
LaGuardia UNRRA acceptance speech
On March 29, 1946, Mr. Fiorello H. LaGuardia, former mayor of New York City was
appointed Director General of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
(UNRRA), an organization created right after the second world war, principally aimed at
providing food for countries that were not self-sufficient. The situation of those countries was
not only due to a geographical disadvantage, but was worsened by the fact that they were
exhausted by one of the worst wars that history has ever known.
As Director General of the UNRRA, Mr. LaGuardia focused on three immediate issues:
providing food supplies, providing health care, and helping those countries in need to become
self-sufficient. Mr. LaGuardia did not act in the interest of any particular country, with the
expectation of gaining anything more that the economic well-being of those countries. He
publicly warned the helping countries not to use their help as a political tool to speculate over
other countries misery.
He encouraged his fellow Americans to contribute to the effort of helping those countries
in need by reminding them that not even a decade earlier, they themselves were desperate due to
what is known as the Great Depression. He evoked in them that sympathy that is proper of all
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Global Politics
Spring I, 2012
Luca Sidrid Hasko
human beings, and he recognized that although, “God almighty in His wisdom has put enough
food for everybody in the world. The trouble is that the distribution hasn’t been very good”.
I firmly believe that Mr. LaGuardia (the Little Flower)1 felt compelled to help other
people, and countries who did not have the same opportunities as he and his country had. That is
because he lived according to his conscience, or to the Law of Human Nature.
What “all men are created equal” means
Here is what I think the statement “all men are created equal” means. I believe that it
means that all men are essentially equal, or that they have the same dignity, and that this dignity
belongs to all men by the very fact that they are human beings. I believe that this fellowship
creates boundaries, or duties among people that should not be neglected. And finally I believe
that this abstract, but real, equality should be translated into the material world and carried out by
creating equal opportunities for everyone.
International Relations Theories
Realism and Liberalism are political theories based on assumptions about the nature of
humans. The former argues that the nature of human beings is essentially evil, and the latter
argues that it is essentially good, and they have pretty good arguments to support their thesis.
The fact is that those who support one theory tend to think that the other one is wrong a priori.
I think that both of these theories are right to a certain extent, but that neither one alone is
correct. To totally rely on one theory would be a big mistake that could lead to catastrophic
consequence. Let us see what happens if we set each of these theory as the only correct one.
If we apply realism to the case of the Nazi Germany, we could almost believe that there
was nothing wrong with that, for realism value the seeking of power as Nazis did. They believe
that the state is supreme good that must be defended at all costs, not only from other states, but
1
LaGuardia’s name, Fiorello, means “little flower” in Italian
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Global Politics
Spring I, 2012
Luca Sidrid Hasko
also from its citizens. Once Nazis set up Jews and other groups as enemies, although they were
citizens it was then justifiable to prosecute them. Many other examples can be brought, but for
our purposes this is enough.
To set Liberalism as absolute correct political theory would be disastrous too. The case
brought up by Thucydides is emblematic. When Athenians were conquering the Peloponnese the
Melians remained neutral without backing those who were opposing them, thinking that if they
did not take part to the war they would have been spared, but they were wrong. When the
Athenians got close to the Melians, they offered them to submit, but the Melians did not. It was
very courageous not to submit, but it was too late to be brave, and they were eventually
destroyed. They relied too much on the eventuality that the Athenians would accept them as
allied, or accept them to be neutral, which to the Athenians was even worse.
The Melians had an attitude that we can fairly consider liberalistic, but as history teaches,
it was not a successful attitude.
The thesis is easily demonstrated than. To completely rely only on realism or liberalism,
doesn’t work too well. In the first case we may end up having a society that can turn to be
extremely cruel, that steps over people’s rights but still follow the realist values, and in the
second case we can end up having a society naïve enough to be destroyed.
Reality is very complex and to expect to interpret it by a single theory would be way to
simplistic, and could lead to seriously dangerous consequences. I believe, once more, that the
way to avoid terrible mistakes is to rely more on our conscience, because while these theories are
made up by men through believes, the conscience or the Law of Human Nature are given us by
our very nature and we should try to live accordingly to it.
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Global Politics
Spring I, 2012
Luca Sidrid Hasko
Globalization - Speranza Tanzania
What made it possible for the UNRRA to allow the world to pass one of its worse
historical periods ever was the effort that all the post-war developed countries put in to the relief
and rehabilitation of the other countries, and the great interconnectedness among them, in other
terms, globalization.
There are many ways to look at globalization, either good or bad, but like many other
things in the world, globalization itself is neither good, nor bad. It is what we decide to make of
it that makes the difference. It might seem to you that I am exaggerating by saying “we”, but I
am not. We are used to thinking that we alone cannot do much, but it is not true that we are
alone. Since 1946, many things have changed, and we are more interconnected than ever before.
I am not referring to things like Facebook or Twitter. I am referring to the thousands of
organizations around the world, created by people from everywhere aimed at translating equality
into the material world, by setting equal opportunities for everyone.
SperanzaTanzania is an organization founded by two medical students, Lorenzo Ciullini
and Martina Fanna. They decided to go to Tanzania and offer their academic experience to help
as much as they could at Nkoaranga Hospital located in Arusha, Tanzania. Fascinated by the
place, the people, and the unexpected fact that they received far more than they gave, they
decided to create the project “SperanzaTanzania”. Their main objective is to help a man
affectionately known as Dr. Emmanuel, to get his higher degree from medical school, by paying
his school tuition. Yes, Emmanuel cannot afford to go to medical school although he is a very
talented aspiring doctor who is always active at the Hospital, and eager to learn and do more. As
of today Emmanuel has completed his first year in medical school, earning excellent grades. He
is still active at the hospital and takes care of his mother, and his younger siblings since his father
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Global Politics
Spring I, 2012
Luca Sidrid Hasko
died of a brain tumor. This is possible thanks to the personal and unselfish involvement of
Lorenzo and Martina.
By affecting one person they hope to create a virtuous circle that will lead to turning
point for the entire society. Personal involvement is the key – we should not wait the world to
slip on us. Good things happen by being active, and real change, too. This is how we can turn
globalization into something good, for others and for ourselves, and just like Lorenzo and
Martina we will be overwhelmed to find out that we will get much more than we give, and that
our time will be more valuable and full of meaning.
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Global Politics
Spring I, 2012
Luca Sidrid Hasko
References
Breinersdorfer, F. & Burgemeister, S. & Muller, C. & Rothemund, M. (Producers) &
Rothemund, M. (Director). (2005). Sophie Scholl – The final days [Film]. Germany
Diamond, J., (1997) Germs, Guns and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
(1946, March 30) Text of La Guardia UNRRA Acceptance Speech, New York Times
La Guardia, F. H., (1946, November 11) Proposal for a United Nations Food Found
Lewis, C. S., (1952) Mere Christianity
Thucydides, (404 B.C.) The Melian Dialogue
If you are interested in knowing more about SperanzaTanzania read the diary of Lorenzo and
Martina’s journey in Tanzania at:
http://speranzatanzania.com
http://www.facebook.com/speranzatanzania
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