ipl-logo

Definitions Of Sameness And Equality

1478 Words6 Pages
How different should people act in a society? Should people be the same in every way possible, or should there be some differences between people? These questions stem from the definitions of equality and sameness. Over the centuries the terms equality and sameness have become interchangeable despite having polar definitions. In today’s culture, people fight for equality but use the definition of sameness. Sameness for a society means that each person is the exact same; no individual is superior or inferior to another. Equality for a society means that each person is given the equal opportunities to do what they desire. This opportunity does not guarantee that people will pursue those desires, but the opportunity stays available for them. An example to differentiate sameness and equality are the historic cities of Athens and Sparta. Sparta is a city that enforced sameness within its society, and Athens is a city that celebrated equality within its society. Sparta, a militaristic strong community, forced boys to undergo intense military training; so that, once they were of age, the boys join the army and fight for Sparta. A family’s social standing did not exempt a boy from this training. Girls in Spartan society were also given training and practice in these arts. These trainings were only for people without an anomaly; for example, if a child was born with hearing difficulties, visually impaired, or a deformed limb that child will be disregarded and left to die on his or
Open Document